To Protect and Serve
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: The City of Guilds is a place full of danger and intrigue. When a veteran Azorius Arrester is tasked to investigate a high profile murder, he stumbles upon a conspiracy that goes deeper than he originally thought. Now it falls to him and an unlikely ally to ensure that justice will be served.
1. Amicus Curiae

**Disclaimer:** **This is a rewrite of a story I had originally posted some time ago and vowed to finish one day. That said, I don't own Magic the Gathering or any of its other related intellectual property.**

* * *

"Victor Strava! Open the door right now! We know you're in there!" came an angry shout as the armored fist of a Boros Wojek pounded menacingly at the wooden door.

Bright light from the late afternoon sun still hung high over the blue skies of Ravnica as a small group of heavily armed Azorius Arresters and Boros Wojeks crowded the dusty narrow alley and took ready positions along the front door of the old tenement building. No signs of life came from within the dingy run down structure while small chunks of bleached sandstone flaked off the sides. By now, onlookers on the streets had cleared out or retreated into their homes so as not to get in the way of the intimidating soldiers who had gathered.

Alexi Lazlo stood patiently on the sidewalk palming the hilt of the gladius short sword while waiting for a response. He was a tall Azorius Arrester near the age of thirty; moderately handsome with dark features, short hair and a reserved manner about him. Alexi slowly glanced to his shorter companion, a sergeant of the local Boros Wojeks by the name of Lechner. He had worked with Lechner before and the two men had a fairly friendly rapport with each other despite their different guild affiliations. The stocky Wojek shifted restlessly and gripped the flanged mace in his hand. He was always a bit impatient and jumpy, just itching to take action and jump into a fight.

"Well Lazlo? Are we going to move, or what?"

Alexi regarded him calmly before banging the door with his own fist, "This is your last chance Strava! We know you're growing illegal substances in this building and we have a signed warrant here. Open the door!"

The law enforcers heard banging and shuffling going on inside and Alexi turned to give an affirmative nod to the Wojek warriors clad in chain mail armor. The senior Arrester made room for two burly Wojek soldiers as they hefted a small steel battering ram and smashed the door open in one great swing. Inside the darkened room, the Golgari necromancer Victor Strava sprung up in surprised panic as the Arresters and Wojeks barged into the tenement building causing the criminal to take off running toward the stairs. Before the law enforcers could give chase, they raised their lanterns and spotted the shambling forms of several humanoid monsters made of fungi and vegetation lurking in the dark corners of the first floor living room. The creatures snarled and moaned as they turned their attention on the living intruders.

Giving a shout, the Wojeks wearing red and white drew blades and closed ranks to take on the menace while some blue clad Arresters in half plate armor readied their maces to back up the Boros soldiers. As a furious and messy melee erupted on the building's first floor, Alexi Lazlo raced inside and pushed through the combatants. He slashed aside a couple of the necromancer's fungi servants before charging through the dingy corridors of the building after the criminal. Not far ahead, the Golgari fugitive scrambled out a window to another set of alleyways, hearing the pounding footsteps of his pursuer close by.

As he burst through the window to the cobblestone streets, the Golgari outlaw squinted at the bright sunlight and blindly dashed to the edge of a dead end in the alleyway. Moments later, Strava whirled around in fear to see the blue and white uniform of the Azorius Arrester emerge from the rear door. Alexi cornered the outlaw and brandished his gladius.

"Surrender Strava! There's nowhere left to run!" Alexi called, advancing slowly on the criminal while leveling his short sword.

The Golgari fugitive's clothes and skin were crusted in filth and he wore a desperate look in his eyes as he brushed aside some of his long dark dread-locks. Taking one last look down the edge of the alleyway, Strava reached for a jagged dagger at his side and brought it across his palm while he began to chant guttural words to some kind of evil spell. Dark green tendrils of necrotic energy began to surround the necromancer in a sinister aura as Alexi shook his head slowly, "When will they ever learn?"

The Arrester immediately reached in his cloak and brandished a metallic badge shaped like the traingular insignia of the Azorius Senate with blue and silver enameling. As he did, he muttered an incantation of his own, drawing power from the arcane words of the Azorius Senate's very laws. While Alexi himself was not a lawmage and unable to perform advanced spellcraft, he was still able to make use of the enchanted badges issued to Arresters which allowed them to counter magic and restrain enemies in a limited capacity. To many of the Senate's enforcers, they informally referred to these badges as their lucky "charms."

With a swift motion, Lazlo hurled a blue wave of counter magic which struck the necromancer and dispelled his foe's power. As the Golgari's aura dissipated, Strava's limbs went stiff and he fell over helpless as magical interlocking runic triangles bound his arms and legs together to effectively detain him.

Standing over his prisoner, Alexi Lazlo sheathed his sword and handcuffed the Golgari outlaw. "Victor Strava, I'm placing you under arrest for illegal practice of necromancy, possession of illegal substances, endangering the safety of this neighborhood, and resisting officers of the law."

As Lazlo hauled the prisoner to his feet, a younger junior Arrester emerged from the stairwell and gave a wave as he approached. His suit of silver steel half plate armor had been splattered with some gore from the battle with Strava's plant minions, but the young Arrester looked none the worse for wear. "The building's clear sir. We've eliminated the fungi guards and the Wojeks report no casualties."

"That's good news. Nice work," Alexi smiled handing off Strava to the Arrester. "Gather your men and take Strava back to the precinct for processing. We'll let our advokists and the court system handle it from there."

"I imagine Captain Pulaski will be pleased when he hears the news." the younger nodded with a tired grin. "I heard Strava's been a wanted man for several months and just kept slipping away."

"It wasn't an easy case, but I'm glad it's finally over." Alexi sighed in agreement following his comrade back out of the alley and to he front of the dingy building. "Crime has been up lately but I'm praying things settle down for a while now."

"Wishful thinking sir, but we'll make do," the younger Arrester said with a salute as he and some of the other Azorius enforcers began heading back to their precinct building.

Alexi watched the younger officer leave and gave a tired nod over to Sergeant Lechner and the Boros Wojeks who had assisted in the operation. "You confiscated the illegal fungus and narcotics sergeant?

Lechner nodded, "We've got enough to put that guy away at a trial. As for the rest... it looked pretty putrid so we're going to burn it before it hurts anyone else."

Seeing that everything was in order, the Wojek sergeant extended a tired hand to Alexi and gave a quick shake, "Always a fun time Arrester Lazlo. Until the next raid?"

Alexi gave an amused smile and nodded before he began walking out of the alley to head back into the bustling main streets of Ravnica's 10th District. Rows of noisy merchant stalls lined the wide boulevard as human customers conversed with elves, minotaurs, and blue skinned vedalkin. Underfoot, the occasional goblin couriers would quickly scurry about weaving through the legs of the taller people and lumbering loxodons to make their deliveries. Back out in the main roads of the district, things seemed almost normal again in a surreal sort of way... as if the people here never even noticed the violent incident that had just taken place in the side streets just now.

While Alexi was eager to return to the Azorius district headquarters to give his report, he was in no particular rush to be reassigned just yet. As he continued walking along a bustling street back toward his office, he was content to mix back into the crowds and enjoy the feeling of being one with the pulse and flow of the city he had sworn to protect and serve.

* * *

Behind a thick oak desk, Captain Pulaski sat surrounded by several large stacks of paper. Within his spacious office of the Azorius 10th District branch hall, several neat orderly rows of paperwork and court files lined the counters and shelves giving one the impression that this was the office of a very hardworking public official... or a compulsive packrat. While the late middle aged man with gray hair continued to scribble notes into a file, fading rays of the early evening sun streamed in from the windows as he heard a rapping at the door. He stopped a moment and put his plume down. "Come in."

As the door opened, the Arrester Captain glanced up to see Alexi Lazlo enter with a small sheaf of papers in his hand. The younger man stopped to give a respectful bow before offering the paper, "Captain Pulaski, I'm here with my written report of this afternoon's arrest."

"Ah yes," Pulaski said with a slow smile toward the Arrester, "I received word that you managed to apprehend that necromancer Strava. He's been a pain in our side for some time now. Well done my boy."

"Thank you sir," Alexi said with a professional nod as he stood at rigid attention, "Will that be all then?"

Captain Pulaski fixed his blue eyes on the young enforcer and shook his head, "I'm afraid not son. I have a new assignment for you... a potentially important one."

Alexi maintained a neutral face, trying his best not to show his disappointment while any hope of some much deserved rest had now vanished. "What would you have me do, sir?"

The captain beckoned the Arrester over to sit in a nearby chair and handed him a file from his desk. "We received a report earlier today of a double homicide at a hotel in the other end of the district. One of the victims was a high profile Azorius advokist by the name of Piotr Jelenik. He had recently been serving as an assistant district attorney and prosecuting some major court cases for the guild."

Alexi skimmed over the papers of the initial report, "What about the judicial branch of our guild? Have the Sova been notified?"

Pulaski nodded, "Yes... but you know them. It will take some time before they even decide on a course of action. For the time being, they've authorized us enforcers in the Lyev branch to take the lead in the investigation. I've organized for a coach to take you to the crime scene when we're finished here. You should have time enough to take a closer look at the report along the way."

Alexi looked up again from the file, "I understand Captain, but you said there were two deaths. Who was the other victim?"

Pulaski gave an uncomfortable look, "A young woman by the name of Mireia, a courtesan with supposed connections to a high end brothel."

"Now I can see why this is a sensitive matter," Alexi remarked grimly, "I'm sure the last thing the Azorius Senate wants spread around is that one of their top prosecutors was fooling around with a hooker on the side."

"Indeed," Captain Pulaski remarked. "But despite the unusual nature of this case, it's not completely secret. One of the district's judges, Judge Acastus wanted to lend some help. Jelenik clerked for Acastus several years back and was considered a friend. When the judge got the news, he decided to send one of his best resources to help in the investigation. Arrester Lazlo, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Alexi gave a puzzled expression and turned as an attractive young woman in her mid twenties entered the office wearing a white and blue uniform specific to the Azorius guild's judicial officers and lawmages. She had long golden blonde hair tied up neatly, a slender feminine figure and fair colored skin and features. She marched up to Pulaski's desk and gave a polite bow of the head before, she turned crisply and fixed her blue eyes on Alexi.

"It's nice to finally meet you Arrester Lazlo," she said with an amused smile.

"And you are?" the skeptical Arrester prompted with a suspicious frown.

"Anastasia Radic," she answered, "I transferred in recently as a Deputy of Acquittals for the 10th District. Judge Acastus assigned me to aid you in the investigation so you can consider me your Sova branch liaison."

Alexi looked to his watch captain for a moment then turned slowly back to Ana, "Deputy Radic, you do realize that the function of the judicial officers may get in the way of our branch's operations here, right?"

"Not necessarily true," she corrected, "Protocol still allows us lawmages joint involvement at the local level... unless you'd prefer I acted as the oversight to the investigation instead?"

Alexi grimaced slightly before speaking in a patient tone, "I appreciate the offer Deputy Radic, but I won't be needing any help."

Ana sighed, "A potentially serious scandal for our guild, and you're pushing away the aid of a fellow agent? I'm not here to spy or meddle with the enforcers if that's what you're thinking."

Alexi forced a thin smile, "Miss Radic..."

"Call me Ana," the Deputy smirked back.

"Ana..." Alexi corrected himself with a sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "I'm saying this out of concern for your safety. Pounding the pavement on this investigation might get dangerous and it might not be the best place for a judicial branch lawmage."

"I appreciate the concern but you won't have to worry about me," Ana answered producing some authorized papers and handing them to him. "I've done some joint training with the Boros Wojeks and I've done more than just act as a sheltered courtroom bailiff.

Alexi cast a pleading look over to Captain Pulaski who did his best to stifle an expression of amusement.

"Judge Acastus said that you'd be uncooperative," Ana stated bluntly, "He also said you were stubborn and a little bit arrogant too."

Alexi narrowed his eyes slightly before she paused a moment and continued, "But he also said that you were disciplined, persistent, and one of the best investigators and veteran Arresters in the district."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence Ana," the Arrester smirked back as he tapped the shorter woman on the head with her papers before returning them, "But flattery will get you nowhere."

Captain Pulaski folded his hands, "It's best you play along and work with the Sova on this one Alexi. You've done lots of good work here but you can't be a solo act forever son. It might be time that you took on a partner again. Besides, it never hurts to have a second opinion in these cases or someone to watch your back."

Alexi wrinkled his features and gave a grudging sigh of resignation to his superior, "I... suppose so. It seems I have little choice in the matter now Captain, so if that will be all?"

Pulaski gave a nod, "There should be squad of local Arresters securing the scene for you when you arrive. Keep me appraised of any developments. Good luck you two."

Alexi gave a respectful nod and turned to his new partner, gesturing toward the doorway of the cluttered office, "Our coach awaits. After you Miss Radic."

* * *

Arrester Lazlo and Deputy Radic hurried down the busy halls of the Senate's district headquarters. Ornate pillars and statues of white marble lined the way while they navigated past busy clerks, armored Arresters, and blue robed advokists carrying sheafs of legal papers. As they headed down the whitewashed steps of the building out toward a waiting coach, they saw that the sun had dipped lower in the sky and the evening lights of the city were beginning to be lit. By the time they'd reach the scene, it was likely night would fall.

After alighting in the carriage and departing the district guildhall, Ana gave a curious look to her new partner and decided to make some conversation, "You look a little worn out Alexi. Busy day?"

He turned to look at the young woman and gave a shrug, "Sorry... I've been pounding the pavement all day and I just got back from a big arrest this afternoon... a dangerous Golgari necromancer. Honestly, my head is still spinning."

"I see," Ana said sympathetically, "It seems like no matter what we do, the crime and the violence never let up, do they?"

"I made a similar remark to an Arrester earlier today," Alexi replied, "You've also been worried about the rise in the violent Rakdos riots lately, huh?"

Ana nodded in concern, "Everyone knows those Rakdos cultists are a pack of bloodthirsty psychopaths, but no one in the district seems to know what's been stirring them up so much recently. If our hands have already been full with stopping them, it 's only harder when other troublemakers try to take advantage of the situation."

"Well, it's going to be up to us to keep that from happening, starting with this new case," Alexi answered solemnly. After a pause, he took a moment to study his partner, "I probably don't need to ask this, but I will anyway. You know how to handle a weapon if things should get interesting?"

The blonde haired woman smiled and gestured to a small concealed sword at her belt. It was tucked away under a fold of her white tunic. "Anyone who did a little training with the Boros Legion learns it never hurts to carry some added insurance with you Arrester Lazlo. You won't have to worry about me if things go sideways."

Alexi gave an impressed nod and cracked a hint of a smile as he pulled out the new case file, "Funny. Because you didn't strike me as a typical lawmage. I was expecting more of a scrawny paper pusher who would jump at their own shadow."

Ana stared at him incredulously for a minute before breaking out into mild laughter. "I'll take that as a compliment Mr. Lazlo. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't think you were a typical Arrester either."

Alexi raised an eyebrow as Ana continued, "It's nice to see not all the Arresters are big, dumb thugs who can't string a sentence together either."

For the first time that day, Alexi gave a small laugh... which was admittedly a bit uncharacteristic for him. He wasn't quite sure what to make of his new counterpart just yet. Whether Ana was more amusing or irreverent, he wasn't quite sure. For the time being though, he figured he could work with the lawmage. He didn't know how good she'd be in the field yet, but she did seem competent enough.

With that, his thoughts turned back to the investigation and he tiredly opened the file to begin studying his new assignment. It would be a while yet before they reached the hotel while evening shadows began to drape the city and the outsides of the small carriage. It was in that fading light that Arrester Lazlo wondered what new dark secrets he would now have to uncover in order to bring justice for one of his own slain guild members.


	2. Animus Nocendi

When the carriage finally stopped at its destination, Alexi and Ana stepped outside and stretched their legs in the cool evening air. The comforting lights of the large decadent hotel building they stood in front of glowed warmly, inviting weary guests to come in and spend the night. Looking about, they could also see that they were in a relatively wealthier and upscale area of the district. The streets were clean and well maintained while the citizens who strolled about wore colorful fashionable clothes. As the two spent a moment to take in their surroundings, they turned to see a pair of younger male Arresters in their silver armor and blue cloaks emerge from the front door of the hotel. The two men approached the newcomers and gave an unusually friendly wave.

The blue clad soldiers removed their helmets, revealing some familiar faces to Alexi. The thinner of the two Arresters broke out into a subdued grin and extended a hand, "Alexi Lazlo! I heard a senior investigator was coming, but I wasn't expecting to see you here! How have you been sir?"

Alexi smiled and shook the younger Arrester's hand before turning to his taller burlier partner and clapping the man's shoulder, "Treading water Casimir, but it's good to see you and Felix again."

Ana stood waiting on the sidewalk looking on in amusement before Alexi cleared his throat and resumed his professional air, "Ana, I'd like you to meet some friends of mine, Arresters Casimir Janko and his partner Felix Novak. Boys, this is Deputy Anastasia Radic."

The bigger man named Felix gave a friendly nod and shook the woman's hand, "Pleased to meet you Ma'am. I'm guessing you're Alexi's new partner?"

Ana nodded back with a chuckle, "For the time being... whether he likes it or not."

"The lawmage has got a firm handshake and a sense of humor," Felix grinned toward the older Arrester, "I like her already."

Alexi simply rolled his eyes with a sigh before Ana turned to Casimir, "You two have worked together with Alexi before?"

"He was a couple years older than us when we were going through training at the Academy," Casimir replied, "Arrester Lazlo was assigned to help whip our class into shape and mentor us younger recruits. We were a pretty rowdy lot and always getting in trouble."

Alexi crossed his arms and said in a joking tone, "It could have been a lot worse Janko. The only reason I looked the other way and let you and Felix get away with some of your antics was because you still had some talent. I'm glad you two graduated and didn't become complete screw ups."

"How about that? I believe that's the nicest compliment he's ever given us Cas," Felix said to his partner.

"So you do have a soft spot under all that armor," Ana teased Alexi gently with a laugh, "I'm learning quite a bit about you tonight. I'm looking forward to hearing some more of those Academy stories."

"Maybe another time," Alexi sighed before turning to his comrades, "Now, wasn't there a murder here you'd like to show us?"

Casimir took the lead and gestured toward the open door, "Right this way. Felix, would you mind continuing to canvas the area?"

Casimir led the investigators inside through a lavish extravagantly decorated hotel. A group of Arresters milled about the lobby keeping irritable hotel guests from getting in or out while a couple local Wojek patrolmen continued questioning potential witnesses. They ascended several flights of stairs to the upper floor and walked down a hallway toward the room where the murders had occurred.

From the carpeted hall, they came to a room with an open door. Inside, a blue robed Azorius clerk stood taking notes of the scene while another Arrester vigilantly stood guard. The well decorated room had comfortable accommodations and contained soft plush furnishing that remained undisturbed.

The two investigators turned their eyes over toward the large bed near the center of the room. As they approached, they could see there were two bodies, both covered up by bloodstained sheets. Along one wall and the nearby floor were more signs of messy red blood splatters. While the room was already well lit, Casimir took a blue glowing lantern and held it closer as Alexi peeled the covers away to reveal the victims. "Piotr Jelenik and Mireia Svoboda." the younger Arrester announced grimly.

Lying sprawled on the bed were the bodies of a young man and woman. Both were fully clothed and spread in awkward positions, looking to have been killed by stab wounds in their chests. Piotr still wore the familiar blue robes of an Azorius advokist while the girl Mireia had been dressed in a slinky black dress. The three law enforcers exchanged curious glances before Ana leaned in closer to examine the bodies.

"The shape of these puncture wounds look like they were caused by a small jagged weapon," she observed, "Maybe from a dagger… or some sort of serrated knife. Were there any weapons recovered here?"

"I can help with that Ma'am," the Azorius clerk called from the corner. He put on a glove and reached into a nearby bag to remove two large daggers with jagged blades.

"These look similar to Rakos style weapons," Ana frowned while examining the daggers, "Is it possible these two were murdered by some cultist thrill killer?"

"If so, I'd say there must have been more than one," Casimir pointed out gesturing toward the otherwise orderly room, "Otherwise there would be more sign of a struggle here."

"Cas is right," Alexi nodded as he paced around the bed, "Except there aren't any defensive wounds on the victims. The Rakdos prefer sudden and messy violence, meaning these murders are too clean… even for thrill killers."

The others looked over as he pointed out faint bruises along both victims' necks. "Judging by the similar way they were killed, I'd guess that each was silenced or strangled by one attacker while the other stabbed with the dagger. This suggests at least a little thought or method behind the crime."

"Makes sense," Ana chime in with a shiver, "Your typical Rakdos would probably paint the entire room red with guts, or just flat out eviscerate the victim."

As she moved to return the dagger, she stopped and glanced at the pommel of the blade. Engraved into the pommel of the dagger was a trademark along with what looked to be the initials of the weapon smith: P.T.

"These are unusual looking blades," Ana noted while holding the pommel up. "Maybe we could find more answers if we go to the guy who made them. He might be able to tell us who bought these types of weapons recently. "

"It's definitely worth looking into," Alexi agreed thoughtfully before going back to his file, "But in the meantime, I'm curious as to what this was all about. Why would a high flying advokist be here with a courtesan?"

"Maybe he just wanted to get his rocks off?" Casimir remarked in a half joking tone causing the other two investigators to stop and stare at him.

"I kind of doubt that," Ana sighed after a pause, "It doesn't look like there was any fooling around since the victims' clothes are still on. Like most of the Azorius political types, I'm guessing the advokist had an ulterior motive."

Alexi glanced over and caught a sly smile from Ana. "Fair point, though I'm thinking this probably has more to do with a case he might have been working. My file on Jelenik said he was involved in several big criminal trials, particularly ones involving the Orzhov Syndicate. No doubt he must have made a lot of dangerous enemies there."

"But that doesn't explain the hooker," Casimir frowned, "What would she have to do with that? Was she supposed to be bait for some kind of a sting operation?"

"Possibly," Ana interjected, "Or maybe she was acting as a sort of informant… or witness."

Both men gave a confused look as she continued, "Think about it. A high end courtesan is often in the company of rich and powerful men, right? If Jelenik wanted dirt on the Orzhov, what better way to get it than through a mutual liaison?"

"Ana... that's actually a brilliant theory," Alexi said with an impressed grin. "If any names on Mireia's list of clients match up with the cases Jelenik was looking into, then we'll have a pretty good place to start."

Casimir scratched his chin, "Lucky guy. It looks like you're headed off to the brothel next sir."

"Seems that way," Alexi agreed with a mile snort, "My file said Mireia worked at a pleasure den called the Crimson Veil. Since you know this area better, are you familiar with the place Cas?"

The younger Arrester's face darkened, "It's not very far from here, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to go there either sir."

"What? Why?" Ana asked curiously.

"The place might look nice on the outside, but there's lot of talk on the street that the den is closely affiliated with the Cult of Rakdos," Casimir said quietly, "They might not respond kindly to a couple Azorius officers poking their noses around, if you know what I mean."

"We'll be careful," Alexi said giving the younger Arrester a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Thanks."

Turning to his female partner, Alexi tucked his file away, "It's getting late. What do you say we call it a night, get some rest and then pay that brothel a visit tomorrow night?"

Ana sighed and shook her head to herself lightly, "Two dead bodies tonight and an upscale brothel tomorrow? Classy. I can't wait to see where you take me on our third date."

Alexi stared incredulously as she exited the room then turned to Casimir who gave his older friend a shrug. As the senior Arrester left in a mild huff, Casimir couldn't help but shake his head and laugh quietly in spite of himself.

* * *

The next evening, Alexi and Anastasia met near the hotel from the other evening to continue their investigation. Even at night, the metropolitan districts of Ravnica were still busy with citizens seeking restaurants or entertainment venues for the evening. As the pair of investigators walked down the well lit streets, Alexi looked up high in the skies to see the light from some lanterns pass above them. A large maintenance airship created by the Izzet League floated by on its way to another job site, most likely to work on the keeping the district's power supply running and making sure the lights stayed on. As they turned off the main road, the two headed down a quieter side street that was lined by well trimmed hedges and small trees maintained by the Selesnyan Conclave.

"Your friends from yesterday seemed nice," Ana remarked absently as they walked, "Definitely among the friendlier enforcers I've ever met."

"Ah, so are you admitting that us Arresters aren't that bad after all?" Alexi asked with a wry half smile.

"Still haven't made my mind up yet," Ana replied playing along, "What about you? Have you had any experience partnering up with a lawmage before?"

"You're my first one," Alexi confessed with a cool expression, "Normally we tend to find them to be a bit more like the judiciary and the bureaucrats... a little stuffy and overly impressed with themselves... no offense."

"None taken," Ana answered, "I'd probably have to agree with you on that."

As she said that, the two stopped in front of an upscale building with a decorative wooden doorway. Above the door was a signpost painted red and black that read, The Crimson Veil. After walking up the steps, Alexi knocked at the door and waited several moments before it opened and a large well dressed doorman appeared. He was a bald clean cut man who wore an expensive red embroidered tunic. He stopped a moment when he saw the officers before asking carefully, "What can I do for you officers?"

"We'd like to speak to the person in charge here," Ana said stepping forward flashing her badge along with Alexi, "We have some business to discuss with them."

The doorman frowned and began closing the door, "There's nothing illegal going on here lawmage. You're wasting your time."

Alexi stuck his foot in the door to keep it open and began to push it back open against the man, "We don't care what's going on in back. That's not what we're here for. We just have a few questions for your boss."

As the two investigators began to push the doorman back and step inside, a few other well dressed employees came forward to bar their path sputtering in outrage. One of the other men rushed forward trying to push back violently, but Ana swiftly pushed the man aside and restrained him with a wave of her hand. Glowing blue ribbons of magic energy laced with runic script flowed from her bracelet and quickly tied the man up binding his limbs. Nearby, Alexi grappled with another male bouncer and twisted the man's arm. The Arrester forced the bouncer into a submission hold as the doorman dropped to his knees yelping in pain. The other employees stopped a moment as Ana showed her badge again and a woman's voice rang out from behind them, "What is going on here?"

The employees parted and a lithe beautiful Elven woman in a low cut red satin dress stepped forward. Her pale blonde hair was dyed with black streaks at the tips and she moved with an almost unearthly grace while she fixed her eyes on the investigators.

"Madam Silwyn," the doorman sputtered, "Forgive me. These two thugs with badges just tried to barge right in here demanding to see you."

Silwyn turned a curious gaze over to the two officers, then slowly smiled, "All a misunderstanding, I'm sure. We don't often get servants of the Azorius guild in here. If they've come to fulfill some sort of carnal desire, then surely we won't turn them away. It's bad business after all."

"I'm afraid you misunderstand Madam," Alexi began diplomatically, "We only wanted to come and ask you a few questions about one of your employees."

"Ah... you must mean Mireia," Madam Silwyn said showing a slight hint of concern, "We heard the news earlier today. Please come in. I will speak with you in back."

As the two investigators were granted entry, the other employees of the Crimson Veil silently cast suspicious and hostile looks at the two while they passed. It almost seemed as if they were blaming the investigators for the death of their coworker. As they walked the main hall of the building following Madam Silwyn, Alexi and Ana passed through a soft dark red curtain into a more dimly lit area. The interiors were richly decorated with several paintings and wood carvings while the smell of a sweet intoxicating incense hung in the air.

As they passed through the main hall, Alexi and Ana could see that each side room had different setups to accommodate a wide variety of their patrons' particular desires or sexual fetishes. The Arrester and Deputy exchanged an uncomfortable look as they passed the pleasure dens and stopped at a richly furnished office where Silwyn conducted her personal business.

As they sat down, Silwyn put on a pleasant smile, "Now, how can I help you two this evening?"

Ana cleared her throat and pushed aside the uncomfortable feeling Silwyn gave her, "Madam Silwyn, I am Deputy Anastasia Radic and this is Arrester Alexi Lazlo. One of your courtesans Mireia Svoboda was killed earlier this week and we're looking into who the murderer might be. Would you have any ideas?"

Silwyn gave a thoughtful look but shook her head, "I'm sorry Miss Radic. I can't say that I do. To my knowledge, Mireia was a lovely girl. She was well liked among her coworkers and had positive relationships with all her patrons."

"Is there anyone at all who would have wanted to harm her, or one of her clients?" Alexi asked hopefully.

"This is a pleasure den Mister Lazlo." Silwyn answered, "We don't ask questions or care very much about who our clients are outside of this place. They simply ask for a service and we provide it. Sadly, you know that it's the nature of this business. Every once in a while, escorts get killed at work."

Ana grimaced momentarily while sympathizing with the young slain escort. "Madam Silwyn, we know this is sensitive information, but we're going to need Mireia's client list for our investigation."

Silwyn looked at the Deputy for a long moment as if sizing her up.

"You're a lovely young woman Miss Radic. I saw you handle yourself in that fight and take down that doorman. Being beautiful and being able to handle yourself in dangerous situations is admirable. I imagine you would have been very successful in this line of work too," said the Elven woman with a knowing smile.

"I don't regret going into the service of the Azorius Senate," Ana responded with a hint of resolve in her voice, "I may not agree with the sorts of things other young women like Mireia did, but I can sympathize with their situation and I want to make sure they still get justice. They deserve that much."

Silwyn gave an amused smile and paused. After a long moment, she reached for a black leather portfolio and produced a sheet of paper, then handed it over to the Deputy. "Normally I would have refused to give you two anything, but I'll make an exception this time. You don't strike me as a typical lawmage Miss Radic, and I mean that in a good way."

Ana handed the paper off to Alexi with a serious look before giving a nod to Silwyn, "Thank you Madam. I promise you we'll do our best to catch Mireia's killer."

"See that you do," Silwyn said solemnly before giving a wave for them to leave.

* * *

After departing the brothel, the two investigators stepped back outside into the cool refreshing night air. As they walked down the front steps, Alexi turned to his partner and noticed she was surprisingly subdued after talking to the owner of the place.

"That was a great job you did back there Ana," he said quietly as they began walking again, "Both with handling that doorman and convincing Silwyn to help."

Ana turned to him and gave a faint smile, "Thanks... I was thinking of Mireia and I guess I couldn't help but sympathize with the poor girl. I mean, what if she took a different path in life and the tables were reversed? What if she became a lawmage instead? I could have just as easily wound up like her."

Alexi put a steady hand on her shoulder, "Well... for what it's worth, I'm glad you didn't."

Ana glanced at him in surprise as he continued, "Believe me, that burning feeling to do what's right is a good thing. But if working with the Azorius taught me anything, it's that we also have to stay focused and be clear headed too. Reason and logic will be our best weapons right now. Starting tomorrow, we look this client list over then go pay that P.T. weaponsmith a visit."

Flagging down a passing carriage, Alexi opened the door for Ana and passed her a few coins for the fare. "Meet me at the central fountain on Court Street tomorrow morning after the eighth bell. We'll pick things up then."

She gave a surprised look before nodding and getting into the carriage. Alexi closed the door and watched as it drove off down the dark street before looking up to the night sky. Despite the progress they had made in these two days, Arrester Lazlo couldn't help but feel that he and his partner had only just scratched the surface of this case.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Arresters Janko and Novak are characters making a return appearance from my other Ravnica fic, To Catch a Thief.**


	3. Inaction Injunction

Late morning sunlight sparkled off the blue waters in the central fountain while the morning crowds made their way down the busy thoroughfare of Court Street. Not surprisingly, much of the local traffic came from those aligned with the Azorius guild who lived and worked nearby. Clerks and scribes hurried off to their offices while Arresters and hussars made their way out on morning patrols. Interspersed with the guildsmen clad in blue and white were other regular local residents. Shopkeepers opened their stores while merchants and customers haggled at stalls.

Anastasia Radic sat at an outdoor café waiting for her partner and idly people watching as a new workday began for the city of Ravnica. The lawmage sighed and drank a hot cup of coffee as she quietly noticed the adjoining plaza beginning to fill with people, both merchants and regular citizens wandering into the open air markets looking for a bargain. As she continued to scan the diverse crowd of people, she caught sight of a familiar blue and white tunic approaching from across the way. Alexi Lazlo carried a small leather satchel at his side and casually sat down at the table across from her. As always, his uniform was well kept and he was without his cumbersome steel Arrester's helmet.

"Good morning Deputy Radic," he said coolly white checking his timepiece, "You're here a little early."

Ana greeted him with a small yawn, "Let's just say I was eager to share some new findings Arrester Lazlo."

The ghost of a smile crossed Alexi's lips as he gestured to the dark leather satchel at his side, "Then it seems I wasn't the only one who was up late doing some extra case work last night."

"And yet you look so much more rested than I am," Ana pointed out crossing her arms.

Alexi shrugged, "My apartment is close by, just a few blocks away. Why else do you think I chose this meeting place?"

"Maybe you liked the upscale neighborhood or the beautiful aesthetics?" Ana sighed gesturing to the ornate fountain across the plaza.

Just because I go kicking down doors in some rough slums of Ravnica doesn't mean I have to live in one of them either," Alexi admitted, "Now, if you're not already impressed with the neighborhood, let me do one better."

The Arrester opened his satchel and removed a small bundle of papers. Among them was the courtesan's client list that the two investigators had been given the night before at the Crimson Veil. "I began going over Mireia's client list and compared it to the named defendants from Piotr Jelenik's casework. While there were many names aligned with the Orzhov guild in Jelenik's casework, the only one that consistently matched with the courtesan's list was a guy by the name of Zoran Ravali. According to Jelenik's notes, the guy was a Syndicate middleman who got rich off a lot of lucrative deals. There wasn't a whole lot else to go on, but Jelenik suspected that Zoran was involved in some kind of illegal dealings but didn't have the proof to nail him yet."

"Sounds awfully risky," Ana mused, "Suppose Zoran really was doing business under the table and the Syndicate caught wind of it. They'd be mounting his head in the lobby of the Vizkopa Bank."

Alexi made an amused snort along with a rueful grin, "Trust me, I've seen the Orzhov do much creepier things to their debtors, but it is a possible motive to kill Piotr Jelenik. If that's the case, I'd wager the Orzhov hired a contract killer to do the job. What have you found out?"

Ana gave a proud smile and pulled out a dagger, just like the one they had found at the crime scene last night. "I started looking into that lead on the weapon we found last night. Turns out there are a whole bunch more of these and other weapons made by the same guy."

The Arrester tilted his head in interest as she continued to explain, "I worked some of my contacts and it turns out all these weapons were ones that the Boros Legion and the Wojeks have recovered from many of the recent Rakdos riots."

"So someone... this P.T. weaponsmith is possibly supplying the Rakdos with arms?" Alexi asked curiously, "Why?"

"That's what we have to find out," Ana said handing him the dagger. "According to that trademark, the weaponsmith is some guy named Pawel Travkin. The Wojeks told me he owns a small place right off of Foundry Row."

"That's not too far from here," Alexi remarked thoughtfully, "Let's pay Mr. Travkin a visit first and then go poke our noses around Orzhova."

As the two began to depart the café, they stopped when they noticed that a crowd had begun to form at the far corner of the plaza. Standing atop a small podium was an older silver haired man wearing the blue finely tailored robes of an Azorius politician. The man spoke with a powerful even voice and every so often, some of the onlookers would cheer or shout their agreement.

"This district is in a constant state of fear!" the politician said, "Every day the rioters and the agents of chaos run about unchecked, destroying your property and harming your loved ones! I ask all of you, what has the District Chancellor Gerad done to address this problem? Nothing!"

At that, the crowd roared and erupted into howls. He continued, "You have my word, citizens of the Tenth District, that should you vote for me, Isidore Vandis in the coming election, I will not forget you! There will be an Arrester on every corner and no one will have to fear going to the market or traveling about with your young."

Again the crowd broke out into another chorus of cacophonous cheers and chanting. Ana glanced over and saw Alexi shake his head derisively while beginning to walk away. "Hey! Wait for me!" she called, catching up with him. "I thought maybe you wanted to stick around and listen to our fellow guild member."

"Trust me Ana, you're better off walking away," Alexi replied.

The lawmage walked alongside him and gave a curious look, "That's interesting, because it looks like Mr. Vandis has been building quite a following for his election of late. You have to admit, he was saying a lot of good things about keeping the peace and it sounds like he's pretty supportive of us law enforcers too."

"Vandis has been a longtime Azorius court judge surrounded by controversy," Alexi countered, "Many of us in the precinct believe he wants the power to actually legislate his own agendas now. That's why he's running for election."

"Well that can't be such a bad thing, can it? Ana asked, "I mean, as far as I'm aware he's made many past rulings against the criminals that we and the Boros Legion have collared."

"It's not about the rulings themselves," Alexi replied, "It's the way Vandis went about them. Those controversies stemmed from the fact that Vandis might have flagrantly broken several procedural court rules and prejudiced those decisions."

"You can't give Vandis the benefit of the doubt, can you?" Ana frowned, "It almost sounds like you're defending the criminals."

"The rules are there for a reason, and even criminals are entitled to due process," Alexi answered firmly while meeting her glare, "If that man is willing to violate the very rules that the rest of us are held to, then you'll forgive me for being a little suspicious. What good are our laws if they're built upon a corrupt edifice? In my place, would you trust him?"

"I'd like to think that I would," Ana shot back becoming more impassioned, "From what I understood during my time in the courts, Isidore Vandis had done a lot of good for the district and we may all stand to benefit more if he gets elected."

"Then it seems we have very different ideas of how we define the term benefit," the Arrester muttered as the two partners continued walking toward Foundry Row. They continued to walk on in silence, the mood now soured by the sudden argument in political ideology. Foundry Row was still a fair ways away on foot, Alexi thought to himself dourly. Either it would give them some time to cool off, or allow things to get awkward. He silently hoped that it would be the first option.

* * *

Some time later, the two investigators came to a section of the district containing many of the local smiths and metal workers. As they walked down the bustling main road, they could smell the acrid smoke billowing from the forges and feel the ambient heat that hung thickly over the air. Here and there, the two partners could hear the ringing sounds of hammers against steel and the hissing of hot irons being cooled in water. They continued to make their way until they came to a small shop with a signpost matching the trademark on their confiscated dagger.

A small bell jingled as Alexi and Ana entered the humble store. Several rows of weapons were hung along the walls, from daggers to maces, to short swords. While the weapons themselves looked to be of common quality, many of them sported some unique flourishes in design, whether they were in the shape of the handle grips, the curve of the hand guards, or the grooves of the blades. At the base of the side walls were a number of small wooden crates that a small green shop imp was busily pushing about.

Standing behind the counter of the store was an older half elf wearing grimy blacksmith clothes and a thick protective apron. He was busily examining a new weapon and looked up quickly to see the new arrivals. As he removed his goggles, he gave a look of surprise and fear to both the Azorius officers.

"Good morning. How can I help you folks?" he asked carefully.

"I am Arrester Lazlo," Alexi began stepping forward slowly, "This is my partner Deputy Radic. Are you Pawel Travkin?"

The half elf nodded as Alexi pulled out the dagger and held it out to him, "I was wondering what you could tell us about this dagger."

"Am I in trouble?" the weaponsmith asked nervously.

"Well, that depends on whether or not you tell me the truth," Alexi answered calmly. "Did you make this dagger?"

The smith looked over the weapon and carefully examined the trademark at the pommel. He looked up and gave a nod. "Yes. That's my mark."

Ana stepped forward to the counter, "Mr. Travkin, a number of your weapons have been turning up recently. We've been recovering them at the scenes of Rakdos riots and just recently, the scene of a murder. We want to know who you're selling your goods to."

"The Rakdos? Murderers?" Pawel gasped in surprise, "Oh, no no no! I haven't sold any weapons to them! To be very honest, I haven't had too many people coming into my shop to purchase anything recently."

Alexi idly glanced around the room and slowly turned his focused gaze on the shopkeeper, "That's funny, because it seems like you're pretty busy. That little imp in the corner hasn't stopped hauling crates since we first entered."

"Wait! I didn't mean it like that. I can explain Arrester," Pawel sputtered

"Please do," Alexi answered patiently as he brushed his hand on the hilt of his gladius for intimidating effect.

Pawel swallowed nervously and gestured toward the crates, "I haven't made many direct sales off the street, but I have been very busy recently filling orders for a client."

Alexi and Ana exchanged a curious glance.

"Who would this client be?" Ana asked while scrutinizing the half elf with an icy withering glare.

Pawel grimaced and shifted uncomfortably as he glanced away for a moment. "I really shouldn't be discussing other people's business dealings."

"Mr. Travkin... right now, it looks like you're an accessory to a murder as well as a potentially widespread rebel movement. Unless you give us a good reason to think otherwise, you're going to be under some very serious scrutiny back at the precinct," Alexi said pointedly.

Pawel blinked a moment before giving a relenting nod. "Ok... so most of my business recently has come from an Orzhov patron… a businessman named Ravali."

"As in Zoran Ravali?" Ana exclaimed with wide eyes.

The shopkeeper nodded hesitantly, "Yes... you know him?"

"That's not important right now," Alexi cut in, "Pawel, what I'm going to need are your account ledgers and any records of sale you have with him."

Pawel nodded again and turned to dig into a side drawer, "Arrester, I swear I've told you everything I know. I don't know what Ravali is doing with my weapons after the sale, but I swear to you I had no idea it was for no good."

After being handed the ledger, Ana began transcribing the entries related to the Orzhov businessman on a separate sheet of paper.

"It looks like both of our leads paid off," Alexi remarked helping her sort through the receipts, "Things have just gotten a whole lot more interesting."

"Do you think Pawel is telling us the whole truth?" Ana asked quietly while she continued to scribble some notes on her paper.

"I don't think he's hiding anything else," Alexi said glancing over to where the smith was waiting in the corner of the shop, "From the looks of these receipts, Zoran is paying almost market value for these weapons. That suggests that he's reselling the weapons to the Rakdos, or fencing them to another third party at a marked up price."

Ana bit her lip thoughtfully, "The questions now are, does the rest of the Syndicate know about this, and what other links does it have to Piotr and Mireia's murders?"

"I'm dying to find out," Alexi said taking up a sheet of paper and a charcoal pencil too, "So let's finish copying these documents and take a little trip across town."

* * *

Later that day, Alexi and Ana took a carriage across the district into the area commonly regarded as the territory of the unscrupulous guild known as the Orzhov Syndicate. While they rode through the district and headed toward the guildhall of Orzhova, they passed several small buildings and chapels with gilded facades. Here and there, the gaunt forms of grey skinned thrulls trudged about following at the heels of well dressed guild members or performing hard menial labor.

"Disgusting creatures, but you almost have to feel sorry for them." Ana muttered quietly as they continued to ride.

"I think I'd feel more sorry for them," Alexi remarked pointing out a few spectral figures of ghosts wandering through the crowds. The faint pale forms of the spirits appeared to wear shackles and had a mark of the Syndicate branded upon them. "Even in the afterlife, they're still paying off their debts to the Orzhov."

Finally, the carriage stopped at a large building made of marble. The architecture was ornate and beautiful while light of the late afternoon sun reflected off the colorful stained glass windows of the building. "So if this is only the Orzhov's records library, I can only imagine what the actual guildhall looks like," Ana said in awe as they climbed up the front steps.

The two passed several checkpoints with guards in full plate armor and walked along polished floors until they entered a sprawling library with rows of shelves filled with tomes and scrolls. Milling about were several other black and white robed librarians and thrulls, reorganizing or moving documents around. The investigators turned as they heard the voice of a gaunt bald librarian that shuffled up to greet them.

"Ah, good afternoon officers. What brings you here today?"

Alexi continued looking about in awe before turning to the librarian. "We're here on business from the Azorius Senate. I'm in need of business transaction records of one of your guild members."

"But of course sir," the librarian purred smoothly, "We have records of every business dealing that goes on between our members... and then some. Perhaps I may be of assistance?"

"Thank you. That would be most kind of you," Alexi replied standing in place. A long pause ensued as the Orzhov librarian waited expectantly before giving a prompting cough and extending a hand as if to receive something... a tip or a bribe, depending on one's interpretation.

The Arrester stared at the librarian for a moment before turning to Ana. His partner gave him a light elbow to the side. Alexi sighed and put a gold coin in the hand of the librarian grumbling to himself, "The Azorius Senate does not pay me enough to do this job."

The librarian examined the coin and grinned as he tucked it away under his robes. Gesturing toward the scroll stacks, he smiled, "Right this way..."

* * *

Alexi and Ana spent the next few days in and out of the library poring over Zoran Ravali's records while staying at a nearby inn. On the morning of the third day, the two sat in the comfortable dining room of their inn, discussing their progress over breakfast.

"You know," Alexi began, reclining on his cushioned chair, "It's really quite amazing how meticulous the Orzhov are in keeping their financial records. I figure if the Azorius could learn a thing or two about tax loopholes and accruing interest rates, we'd be swimming in money too."

"Remember Alexi, you're still a public servant," Ana pointed out while poking through some of the scrambled eggs on her plate. "Any luck on your end? I'm afraid I haven't come up with a whole lot."

Alexi smiled and began spreading jam on some toast, "It took me a while, but I found something interesting. There was already a footnote in Ravali's general ledgers saying that he had tried skimming money off of the Orzhov's cut on his deals in the past. While he did pay back the money, it was still marked as sort of a warning, or a black mark against him."

"So, wouldn't he get nailed again if he's doing some kind of under the table arms dealing through Pawel Travkin?" Ana asked curiously.

"Normally he would," Alexi said lowering his voice, "Except those transactions we recorded from the weapon smith were never recorded on the Orzhov's books. Ravali is a rogue arms dealer making money behind his own guild's back."

"Great!" Ana cheered giving a big smile, "Now that we have some leverage, let's arrest him, drag him in to court, and cram a bunch of subpoenas down his throat."

"Spoken like a true Arrester," Jonas grinned finishing his breakfast. "I must be rubbing off on you."

"Don't flatter yourself Mister Lazlo," Ana smiled, "Though I know that's a rather hard thing for the people in our guild to do."

At that moment, the investigators' banter was interrupted as a knight in ornate gilded plate armor entered the room. He was flanked by two other fearsome looking guards carrying spears. As he approached, the Orzhov knight stopped in front of their table. He did not remove his visor, but his visage was still rather intimidating. "You are Arrester Alexi Lazlo?"

Alexi and Ana exchanged a quick glance before he addressed the knight, "That's correct. What is this about?"

The knight reached to his side a produced a small scroll pouch. He handed it to the Arrester and said, "I'm here to serve these papers to you on behalf of Mr. Zoran Ravali's advokist. By the laws of the local circuit court, these injunction papers prohibit you from any further investigation or harassment of Mr. Ravali's interests. Do you understand these directions?"

Alexi sat in shocked silence for a moment before nodding his head in resentment, "Yes... I do."

The Orzhov knight gave a satisfied nod and gave a smart about-face, exiting the inn with his two escorts in tow. Alexi opened the scroll and began looking over the injunction order, his stomach turning at the realization that those papers were in fact legitimate. "Damn! I don't understand! How the hell would Ravali find out about..."

He and Ana looked to one another before Ana exclaimed, "The librarian! He must have ratted us out to Ravali and took another bribe from him to keep quiet."

Alexi slapped the injunction down angrily on the table and sat silently pondering over his empty breakfast plate, "That slimy son of a bitch..."

The lawmage simply gave a disheartened look, "Well, that injunction just tied our hands. What do we do now?"

After a long pause, Alexi finally looked up his partner, "Maybe not partner. I think I have an idea. It's crazy, but it's worth a shot."

Ana fixed him with her blue eyes and frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Make sure your clothes are clean and your weapon is sharpened. We're going to pay the Orzhov leadership a little visit."


	4. Azorius Charm

As early evening set in over the district, Alexi Lazlo and Anastasia Radic made their way into one of the large basilicas constructed by the Orzhov Syndicate. While it was nowhere near as large as the actual guildhall of Orzhova the Cathedral Opulent, the marble basilica was constructed to be a smaller local reflection of it. Its soaring architecture, gilded spires, and intricately carved gargoyles paid tribute to the basilica's parent church. As the light of the setting sun hung in the air, it reflected off the impressive and colorful stained glass windows of the building and the two Azorius officers couldn't help but stand and admire the beauty of it from inside the front lobby of the church narthex. As they waited near some large sealed doors leading deeper into the basilica, they saw several heavily armored Orzhov guards standing at their post to keep out riff raff and protect the clerics inside that handled valuable currency which was being collected.

"You know... I have to give the Orzhov a little credit," Alexi said as he idly glanced around the rich decor of the waiting area, "What they may lack in ethics, they more than make up for in comfort and style."

"Say what you will but the thrulls and undead in these places still creep me out," Ana replied uneasily as she witnessed a few wandering spirits and a servant thrull shuffle by carrying a large gilded plate full of alms. She lightly rested her hand on the pommel of her own gladius short sword and moved to join her companion. With evening setting in and the light beginning to fade, the character of the glittering Orzhov basilica seemed to slowly change by giving off a foreboding air of dark menace underneath the beauty.

Finally, the great wooden doors opened and the two guards parted allowing a lower level cleric to walk into the narthex to greet the Azorius officers. He was a pale young man with light brown features, short trimmed hair and a clean shaven look about him. His white robes bore gold trim and he wore an intricate coin shaped medallion indicating his rank within the church hierarchy. He wore a calm yet hollow expression and greeted them with a level tone, "Good evening officers... the Syndic will see you now. Please follow me."

Alexi and Ana exchanged an uncertain look before following the man deeper inside the basilica. As the heavy vault doors closed behind them, the two walked on across polished floors while passing ornate jewel encrusted chapels off to the sides. Their guide absently spoke out as they walked, "Do mind your step and be careful not to touch anything along the way."

The Azorius officers were led further until they reached a passageway tucked behind the basilica altar. The path led into an underground sanctum which was still well lit and lavishly decorated. Finally, they came to a large meeting room with a vaulted arch ceiling where there were three seats at the end of the room. Upon each chair sat a hooded Orzhov cleric: two lesser chaplains and the Syndic leader. The young acolyte stopped, gave a respectful bow before turning and leaving the room. Once he left, the Syndic in the middle chair raised his hooded head and studied the newcomers. He looked to be a late middle aged man, wizened and a bit on the corpulent side if some of the bulges from his robes wasn't enough of a hint. The Syndic smiled slowly, "Good evening officers... I am Father Hristo. What brings the Azorius all the way to our humble little church?"

Alexi cleared his throat and spoke first, "Father Hristo, we wished to speak with you, a local cartel boss in lieu of your guild leaders, the Obzedat. We believe we might have some information that is of mutual interest to our guilds."

Hristo's lip curled slightly and he kept his eyes fixed on them, slowly studying the two. He leaned back slowly and nodded slightly, "Go on Arrester Lazlo. You have our attention."

Ana glanced to Alexi and chimed in, "We are investigating a murder case which might involve a servant of the Syndicate and we'd like to ask for your assistance."

Hristo laughed, "My dear, you know as well as anyone that the Azorius and Orzhov have always been locked in a bit of a power struggle. We need your laws and government while you need our business and finances. Our advokists always contend with each other in the courtrooms and we play the cat and mouse game. You really think we will be willing to just help you convict one of our own?"

"Perhaps if you knew this agent was costing you large sums of money," Alexi interjected drawing the cleric's attention, "This merchant of yours is not our primary focus, but he could serve a purpose to both of us."

Hristo's features darkened, "What are you getting at Arrester? Are you suggesting we have a problem in our congregation?"

"That's exactly what we're suggesting," Ana countered, "An arms dealer by the name of Zoran Ravali. We have reason to believe he might be running some under the table business deals and keeping it off the books. I'm sure the Orzhov would like their share of the cut, don't you think?"

Hristo's features wrinkled some more, "Ravali... yes, I've heard of him. I know of his black mark as well. I'll admit, I'm a bit surprised he'd be stupid enough to try such a thing again."

Alexi nodded, "Mr. Ravali is only one piece in the puzzle and we are only concerned with squeezing some information out of him."

The Syndic sniffed, "So what do you need us for?"

Alexi handed Ana the injunction papers and she brandished them, "We've received orders from Mr. Ravali's advokist to cease and desist. What we'd like is for the Orzhov to put some leverage on their own and help us catch Ravali."

"It's a win-win situation," Alexi added giving a nod, "We get our information and take a rogue arms dealer off the street and you'll be free to deal with Ravali however you wish from there."

"That is how we prefer to do things," the Syndic said, "But you do realize that we'd both be bending the laws a bit here."

Alexi furrowed his brow, "I'm aware. But I think you're also aware of the unwritten agreement between our guilds on how we keep the peace in Ravnica?"

Father Hristo chuckled. For all the Azorius Senate's strict adherence to the process of laws and procedure, they were at times willing to look the other way when it served their purposes. The Orzhov allowed the Azorius and Boros to keep order on the open streets while the Orzhov were given latitude to keep order over the more unsavory activities of the criminal underground.

The older cleric silently stared down the two younger law enforcers while wearing an inscrutable expression. "You're playing a dangerous game here children."

"We'll do whatever it takes to get to the truth," Ana replied firmly with resolve. Alexi glanced over toward her a moment in surprise before hearing a laugh from Hristo. He glanced over to his two hooded associates and the clerics silently nodded in assent.

He looked back to the two and relaxed his posture, "Very well. We'll play the game. For your sake, I hope we all profit richly from it."

* * *

The next day, the two Azorius officers sat in a busy restaurant popular with the local Orzhov guildmembers. They had dressed down to look like common civilians and stowed away their blue and white uniforms along with their armor. Tucked away under their loose garments, they still kept their badges and their weapons handy just in case they needed them. They had found out that Zoran frequented this establishment and that he often liked to come here for breakfast. It was their hope that they could find Zoran and corner him in the act, especially if it was an illegal one. While they waited, a waitress passed by and discretely slipped a note facedown on the wooden table. Ana picked it up quietly and glanced at it while Alexi ate a pastry and some coffee.

He took a nonchalant sip of his drink and idly scanned the room while quipping, "A love note from a new admirer perhaps?"

Ana snorted in amusement as she glanced over the note, "Hardly. It seems we got the go-ahead from Father Hristo. Ravali's advokist has been persuaded to temporarily withdraw that injunction order on us. The Syndic must have found our evidence compelling enough to pay her off or put the screws to her."

"That's what always makes me uneasy about dealing with the Orzhov," Alexi remarked quietly, "You never quite know who's on who's side at any given time. One well placed bribe or dagger between the ribs can change things really quickly."

Ana glanced over the table at him in concern, "Do you think we can trust Hristo?"

The Arrester shrugged and gave an uneasy grimace, "Not completely. Who knows how deep this murder plot will get? I've no doubt that the moment it's no longer convenient to keep us as allies, the Orzhov could still turn on us."

"Well... for the time being , let's just count this little action as a sign of good faith," Ana said hopefully as she tucked the paper away and nursed her own drink.

"About that," Alexi said setting down his cup, "The other night you really surprised me when we were at the basilica. Your comment about doing whatever it takes to solve this case and the sound of your conviction... I wasn't expecting that."

Ana paused and shifted in her seat slightly, "Well... isn't that what any good investigator does? You have to be relentless and aggressive, don't you?"

"Of course, but you know how important it is for us to still follow procedure too," Alexi reminded her, "We don't want to taint our evidence or give the defense advokists any wiggle room in court."

"Are you calling my approach into question Arrester Lazlo?"

He shook his head with a mild smile, "No... I just couldn't help but think that for a moment you sounded more like that of a Boros Wojek."

"Would that make you think any less of me?" Ana challenged him with an equally amused wink, "Or do you find it more charming in a girl?"

He hesitated a moment having been caught a little off guard, "I... uhh..."

Fortunately, he didn't have to answer the question as the doors jingled open and a man in his late thirties poked his head in. He was a thin and wiry man, tall with dark features and a weak goatee beard around his chin. He wore the robes and trappings of a middle ranked Orzhov acolyte and he caught the eye of one of the restaurant managers.

As the manager walked over to the door to greet the man, the same waitress passed by the Azorius table again and quietly signaled them, indicating that the man who entered was Ravali. While Zoran spoke with the manager for a few moments in a suspicious manner, Alexi placed a coin on the table and rose from his seat. He offered his arm to Ana in a casual way and spoke quietly, "Shall we?"

Ana got up, took his arm and headed out the door with Alexi posing as an unassuming girlfriend as they passed by. They headed out the front door and looked around until they found a small supply wagon parked off to the side alley of the establishment. Not surprisingly, they recognized the trademarks on several of the crates in the wagon as those belonging to the weaponsmith Piotr Travkin.

"Perfect," Ana smiled, "We've got a fresh shipment of goods. Let's trap the rat and find out where they're going."

"Excuse me... what's going on here? Who are you and what are you doing with my food shipment?" came the voice of Zoran Ravali as he quickly headed back outside and came upon the two inspecting his wagon.

"Cut the crap. We know you're lying through your teeth," Ana replied as she tensed up and shifted her stance.

Alexi reached in his cloak and pulled his badge, "Zoran Ravali? We're with the Azorius Senate. We've got some questions for you."

Zoran turned pale before giving a whistle. To the officers' surprise, a group of heavily armed mercenary guards jumped out from the front of the wagon and encircled the two investigators. They were all grizzled and mean looking sell swords carrying a variety of weapons from cudgels, maces and short swords.

"I guess we should have seen that coming," Ana remarked dryly as she drew her sword and stood back to back with Alexi. The Arrester drew his own gladius and glanced over his shoulder to his partner.

"To answer your original question... do you know something I find charming in a girl, Deputy Radic?" Alexi gripped his badge and began to charge it blue law magic, "One who knows how to dance."

No sooner did he say that was when the mercenaries attacked. One guard took a wide swing of his club at Ana but she swiftly side stepped it and tripped her foe with her leg. As she parried another club with her sword, she revealed her runic bracer which began to glow blue. With a wave of her arm, she called forth two ribbons of blue glowing runes with snaked out and bound two of the mercenaries in magical restraints. Nearby, Alexi blocked a foe's sword slash with his own blade and turned it aside.

The Arrester followed up with a backhanded punch with his sword hand smashing in the thug's nose. As the mercenary dropped to the ground amid a fountain of blood, Alexi countered another enemy's club and split the end of the weapon off with his won slash. Before the startled mercenary could react, Alexi brandished his own glowing badge and detained the enemy with his own restraints forged of magic runic ribbons of energy.

Zoran Ravali could only watch in growing dread as the two plain clothes Azorius officers battled the hired guards in the alleyway and quickly turned the tide. The last two guards came at Alexi and Ana with heavy wooden staves but the two officers made the most of their not being weighed down by heavy plate armor. The officers used their relative speed and agility to block and dodge the strikes with their swords before rolling off each other and switching opponents. The mercenaries were so surprised at their foes' combat synergy that they were suddenly put off balance. Amid the melee, Alexi parried aside a staff thrust and grabbed the end of the stick. The Arrester wrenched it around forcing the mercenary to momentarily drop his guard and allow Ana to smash him in the jaw with a high spinning roundhouse kick.

As she finished her spin, she parried a blow from the last staff carrying mercenary to throw him off balance. Without wasting a beat, Alexi kicked out the mercenary's knee and slashed him in the side, sending the thug spinning to the turf in a heap. Ana brushed aside a loose strand of her gold hair and took a moment to catch her breath before smiling to her partner, "Why Arrester Lazlo, you dance divinely."

He gave a sly sideways smile and nodded back toward her, "Thanks. You're not too bad yourself."

Now seeing all his armed escorts had been restrained or downed, Zoran Ravali turned on his heel and took off running down the alley hoping to escape. He had not been expecting a sting by Azorius officers and he hadn't expected to lose his cargo, but escaping with his life was still better than what might happen if he got caught. As he took off running, Alexi grabbed a fallen club and hurled it in a sidearm throw after the suspect. The wooden weapon went spinning sideways in midair and clipped Ravali in the legs, tangling them just enough to cause him to fall face-first into the pavement. He scrambled desperately to get back up and fight though the pain but he gasped when the blue ribbons of glowing Azorius law magic snaked out from behind and locked his limbs in place.

The rogue Orzhov arms dealer rolled over and flailed helplessly on the ground as the two Azorius officers loomed over him, "Please! Whatever you want, we can make a deal..."

Alexi hauled the restrained arms dealer to his feet and gave a smirk to his partner, "Great. Here's the deal. My partner doesn't crush you under her boot like the miserable cockroach you are. In exchange, you get to come with us and answer a few questions. I'm sure some of your other friends in the Syndicate would be more than happy to come along and make it a party."

Zoran could only fall silent and swallow in dread as the pair of Azorius enforcers began to drag him away to the dungeons of nearest Orzhov basilica.


	5. Render Silent

Later that evening, Alexi and Anastasia returned to the district's Orzhov basilica to interrogate their prisoner. By now, they had donned their guild uniforms again and reequipped themselves for the task at hand. They were led again by the same young acolyte they had met before and brought to another underground passageway which led to a sprawling dungeon complex. Although the passageways were lit by torches, the atmosphere of dread in the underground crypts was a far cry from the opulence and soaring beauty that the Church of Deals projected to average citizens of Ravnica aboveground.

Eventually, the two came to a large chamber where they were met by the basilica Syndic Hristo, a handful of guards, and the prisoner Zoran Ravali. Upon entering, they could see that Zoran was being tied and stretched upright on a wooden table. His limbs were bound in place and it looked like he had been whipped several times earlier. When the two officers met Father Hristo, they saw one of the Orzhov guards take a small bucket of water and splash the prisoner to keep him awake. Ravali sputtered and groaned but Hristo didn't seem to mind one bit. He turned to the two Azorius officers and greeted them with a smile, "Ah, Arrester Lazlo. Deputy Radic. You're just in time. We've been taking some time to get reacquainted with Mr. Ravali and take him down a trip down memory lane. Isn't that right?"

Ravali grunted again and Ana wrinkled her nose in displeasure, "I'm sure this guy is a real dirtbag and deserves to be punished, but don't you think this is a little bit too barbaric?"

Hristo chortled, "My dear girl, the Azorius may live for their due process and protocols in dealing with criminals, but we have our own ways of doing things. As far as I'm concerned, Zoran here hasn't broken any laws save for the individual oaths he took to his own guild."

Alexi grimaced sharing in the discomfort at the apparent torture. Unfortunately, Hristo was right about that. What little bits the Azorius could charge Ravali with wasn't enough to assert their case for having authority here. The Arrester stepped forward waving the guards back and allowing Zoran a minute's reprieve.

"Zoran Ravali... I am Arrester Alexi Lazlo. I need you to answer some questions about a murder case."

"Screw you. I didn't kill anybody," Zoran grunted in tired defiance, "You're the reason I'm trapped down here getting skinned alive."

Alexi regarded him with a cold but level expression, "No. You brought this upon yourself. You were the one fencing weapons and trying profit under the nose of your own guild. You knew full well what you were doing and you know what these people are going to do to you."

Zoran barked out a laugh, "The lure of gold is a powerful one Arrester. Of course I wouldn't expect some underpaid civil servant to know anything about dealing with that kind of money."

"How about you tell us where those weapons were going?" Ana interjected as she began walking over, "Or maybe who killed Jelenik?"

Ravali sneered, "You want me to talk to you blondie? Make me a deal. Let me stand trial in the courts of the Azorius."

He gave a suggestive smirk and puckered a little, "Or maybe let me out of these ropes and give me a little sugar to change my mind?"

Alexi growled and quickly clamped down on Zoran's lips with a pinch of his forefinger and thumb. The Arrester banged the prisoner's head back against the board and pinned it there for a moment before letting go, "We're not joking around here Ravali. Why don't you do something noble and honest for the first time in your miserable life and tell us who your contact is."

Zoran gasped as Alexi let go and took a moment to compose himself.

Ana crossed her arms patiently, "We've got all the time in the world. You already know what the Syndicate is going to do to you. Might as well bring down as many other criminals with you, right?"

Zoran eyed Hristo and met the hard gaze of the priest for a long minute before turning back to the officers, "You really want to know what's going on? You really want to know where those  
weapons are going?"

"Ravali..." Hristo began.

The prisoner ignored him, "I'm just the fall guy here. Those weapons are going to the Rakdos mobs by way of House Dimir. You want to know who killed your advokist? Find the Spire Runners with purple cloaks and the spider tattoos on their wrists. They'll tell you everything."

"Lies! He's misleading you! Don't listen to him," Hristo said with a loud voice as he gestured for a guard to whip the prisoner.

The two Azorius exchanged a startled look of confusion before Zoran grunted again and continued spitting toward the Orzhov Syndic, "You're one to talk old man. You're probably on the take too. How much did he pay you?"

"Silence!" the Syndic cried as one of the guards struck Zoran again and knocked the wind out of him.

Alexi whirled around on the old Orzhov priest, "What is he talking about? Who is paying you and what does this have to do with House Dimir?"

"Don't tell you actually believe the delirious words of a common criminal," Hristo snorted in contempt, "Or that House Dimir still exists. That guild was done away with hundreds of years ago."

"You didn't answer my questions," Alexi countered as he fixed the priest with a narrow look and tensed up, "What are you trying to hide?"

A silence fell over the room as Hristo raised a hand to calm everyone and Ana moved to stand beside Alexi. The Syndic gave a sigh, "Officers, you seem to have been misled by these so called Dimir operatives. You've stumbled right into the spider's web and are unwittingly serving their ends. We can't have that."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ana cried in shock as the Orzhov guards in the room began to close in to surround the two investigators.

"It seems this little convenient arrangement between our two guilds has come to a conclusion," Hristo said folding his hands in his robes, "You got what you wanted and we'll collect on our end as well."

"I thought that meant we didn't come to blows or harm each other either," Alexi pointed out but the Syndic laughed.

"No my boy. We agreed to let you get your information. I never said I'd let you walk away unharmed. Now lay down your arms and surrender yourselves. Make this easy for all of us."

The Arrester and Deputy exchanged another quick look before the guards closed in and moved to restrain them. A chaotic melee erupted in the dungeon chamber as Alexi and Ana drew their blades and clashed with the guards. Right now, they were more interested in breaking free of their attackers and escaping the basilica in one piece. Alexi blocked the spear of one guard and punched him aside with his other fist while Ana parried away another spear and restrained the guard with the binding ribbons of some law magic. As they shoved past the other two guards and bowled them over, they made a fast break for the door while the Syndic stood roaring for more guards at the top of his lungs.

The two Azorius officers sprinted down the winding dungeon passageways and ascended a set of stairs until they reached the ground floor of the church. By now, the alarm had been raised and several more guards were closing in to stop the escapees. The sounds of heavy clattering Orzhov armor was heard echoing in the church as the two officers charged onto the empty center of the building. From the pews and aisles, they were surprised as a number of lowly thrulls popped up and barred their way while several others jumped on them to try and restrain their legs and arms.

The two Azorius struggled and thrashed violently to shake off the ghastly creatures but the delay was just enough for several more guards to come and block off all escape routes. Heavily armored guards lined the interior perimeter of the church while several black robed enforcers strode down the aisle led by a gilded Knight of Obligation.

The knight with a cyclopean visor drew a long sword and clenched an armored fist as the two Azorius squared up to meet the new wave of enemies. Ana gripped her sword and eyed all the hostiles present in the room, "Something tells me we're going to be doing a lot of paperwork once we get back to the precinct."

Alexi readied his badge to fire off a detaining spell, "If these Orzhov bastards are so hell bent on stopping us, let's make sure we make them pay a heavy price."

The Orzhov enforcers attacked first and made leaping attacks with their long daggers. The blades that were not blocked aside by the Azorius short swords glanced off their armor. Now that they were in close range, the two officers struggled to break free and get some room to maneuver in the narrow church aisle. As Ana kicked one foe aside and slashed another one, Alexi hit one of his attackers with a binding spell while arm throwing another one clear over a wooden pew.  
Despite having fought off the lightly armed enforcers, time had been bought for the heavily armored knight to stride forward and attack.

Alexi struck first clashing swords with the Orzhov knight and driving his armored shoulder into the chest of the enemy. The large cyclopean knight staggered back a few paces before planting his feet and surprising the Arrester by reaching up with his free hand. The knight clamped down on Alexi's throat and began to choke him. While the two grappled, Ana moved to aid her comrade and lashed out with a burst of her own restraining law magic.

The knight raised its forearm and it's heavily enchanted armor caught the spell and reflected it back at the lawmage. Ana gave a surprised gasp as her own spell ricochet back and struck her full force. The Deputy was thrown off her feet and knocked backward into a pew where she fell awkwardly and landed hard on the ground. The Deputy lay stunned and restrained on the ground at the mercy of the Orzhov.

"Ana!" Alexi gasped as he struggled to help his partner. Before the knight could turn his sword on the Arrester, Alexi brought his gladius around and the tip of the blade clipped a chink in the enemy's joint armor. The knight gave a cry and let him go to reach for the wounded arm, but the Arrester followed it up with another harsh slash. The short sword hammered the Orzhov knight's shoulder guard and knocked the warrior over, the blow likely having broken the Orzhovan warrior's collar bone. Before Alexi could enjoy his triumph over the disabled knight, he was struck from behind by an enforcer who had recovered and snuck up for stealth blow. The guard had taken a blunt mace and despite being protected by his helmet, the force of the blow was enough to knock the Arrester out and Alexi toppled face first to the marble floor beside his partner.

As the two Azorius officers lay helpless and defeated, the Orzhov gathered around before Father Hristo made his way onto the scene. The Syndic priest gave a derisive sniff before gesturing to the others, "Take them away. Lock them up together in one of dungeons. I'll deal with them again later."

* * *

Some time later, Alexi groaned as he rolled over on the cold damp floor and tried to open his eyes. His head was aching and his senses were still swimming a little as he made out the flickering light of some torches. He struggled to fight off his disorientation and slowly began to sit up when he felt a pair of hands come over to steady him. Although she spoke in a hushed tone, he could make out the voice of Anastasia in the dim light, "Alexi... thank goodness. Are you okay?"

"I'll live..." he mumbled as he took a moment to orient himself, "Where are we?"

"Somewhere in the basilica's dungeons," she replied, "I don't recognize this cell block."

"Despite the ruckus we caused, the accommodations are still a bit nicer than Ravali's," Alexi quipped grimly as he turned to look at his comrade, "How long was I out?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Several hours maybe? I can't tell if it's day or night right now."  
By now, Alexi could see that both he and Ana had been stripped of their armor and weapons leaving them with only their badges and the blue and white uniforms they were wearing underneath. While their limbs where not bound, they were locked in a cell with thick heavy bars which didn't offer much in the way of reassurance for escape.

"You were right," she sighed, "The Orzhov did turn on us... I just didn't think it would be this soon."

"We'll figure a way out of this," he said trying to sound reassuring, even if he didn't believe it himself, "With any luck, the precinct might send help if they don't hear from us."

He reached out to put a hand on her shoulder but when he did, she drew back and hissed a little in pain. The Arrester frowned in confusion, "Ana? Are you all right?"

"I... I'm not sure," she finally admitted, "I landed funny on my shoulder earlier when I hit that pew. Now it's just a nagging dull ache."

The Arrester sat up and scooted over to his partner. He placed his hands gently on her bad shoulder and gestured for her to draw back the collar of her white tunic a little. "May I see your shoulder?"

She gingerly pulled back her tunic collar and reluctantly exposed part of her bare shoulder in the dim light but even there Alexi could see the ugly dark blue and purple bruise that had begun to form. He drew back with a nod, "Just as I thought. Looks like a dislocated shoulder. I can pop the joint back into place but it will hurt a little."

She grimaced and gave an uncertain look causing him to sigh, "It'll reduce the swelling and help your arm until we can get you to a healer. Do you trust me?"

Ana chewed her lip a moment before looking him in the eye, "All right... do it."

She braced herself as her friend took hold her arm and shoulder and swiftly popped it back into place. She gave a yelp of pain and sucked in a breath as she gripped his hand and squeezed.

"Anastasia... are you okay?"

She took a moment to take a few breaths before flexing her shoulder a little bit. "It's better. I... thank you Alexi."

He gave a relieved nod and relaxed while continuing to sit beside her against the cell wall, "Good... umm, you can let go of my hand now."

Ana paused and looked down sheepishly as she realized she was still gripping his hand. She drew back and nodded, "Right... sorry."

As she let go and tried to draw her arm back, Alexi noticed something on her inner forearm just under her sleeve. He kept his grip on her hand and turned it around to draw back her sleeve a little. To his surprise, he found it was a familiar tattoo: a small fist with a sunburst, the mark of the Boros Legion.

Alexi looked up quickly and met the alarmed look of his companion, "What is this? What's going on here?"

"Alexi... I can explain," Ana said quickly but he fixed her with a hard look.

"Who are you? Are you with the Boros Legion? Are you a Wojek spy?"

"I was, and no... I'm not a spy. I was..."

She was cut off as the sound of guards approached and the familiar face of Father Hristo greeted them. To their surprise, he was joined by another familiar man in blue and white robes of an Azorius judge. It was none other than Isidore Vandis.

The Syndic stopped and gave an amused smile, "I'm sorry... was I interrupting a little moment here?"

The two officers parted and Alexi scrambled to his feet, "Judge Vandis... thank goodness you're here. There's been a terrible misunderstanding. If you'd allow me to, I can explain everything back at the..."

Vandis smiled calmly and slowly raised a hand to quiet him, "There's no need to explain Arrester Lazlo. I've spoken with Father Hristo here and everything is taken care of."

"Really? Oh that's a relief Your Honor," Ana said with a smile.

Vandis reached into his robes and produced a coin purse which he handed over to the Orzhov Syndic, "Father Hristo will be sure to take good care you here until after the Tenth District's election... one that I predict will have a favorable result for me."

Alexi's blood suddenly turned to ice and he gripped the bars of the cell in dread, "What? Judge Vandis? What are you talking about? What's going on here?"

The corrupt elder Azorius judge walked over to the cell bars and gave a pleasant smile, "My boy... you and your partner here have done a marvelous job investigating the murder of one of our dear advokists, but I believe this is where I'll have to ask you to drop your case. You see, we can't have you two digging any deeper and meddling in the election now can we?"

Alexi frowned as his mind worked furiously to try and piece things together, "Wait... are you in league with House Dimir? Do you have something to do with the murder and the arms dealing?"

Vandis folded his hands patiently, "Arrester Lazlo, I'm giving you one last warning. Let this investigation go. If you behave yourself until the election, I'll guarantee that the Orzhov will keep you safe and release you afterward."

"I thought you were on the side of the law!" Alexi exclaimed in outrage, "Why are you doing this?"

"All you have to do is agree to keep quiet and I'll make sure you're given a generous commendation and reassignment to any comfortable post you'd like in another district," Vandis continued impassively.

"Don't try your elocutor crap on me you treacherous snake," Alexi replied angrily as he pulled at the cell bars, "And you're not going to buy me off either, do you hear?"

Vandis wrinkled his nose in displeasure toward the furious Arrester, "You're letting your emotion and passion get the better of your judgement Arrester Lazlo. It's unbecoming of an Azorius officer."

He glanced toward the shocked face of Ana sitting nearby in the cell, "Perhaps you can talk some sense into your partner Deputy Radic. Until then, I will take my leave."

The Syndic, the Judge, and the rest of the guards turned and began to depart the cell block as Alexi's voice echoed off the stones and followed them, "You won't get away with this Vandis! We're going to stop you!"

Unfortunately, the impotent threats of the betrayed Arrester were silenced as the dungeon doors slammed shut and a sinking cloud of despair began to set in over the dark desolate prison.


	6. Self-Righteous Authority

After some time passed, Alexi dejectedly slumped down along the wall of the prison cell and gave a deep sigh. In the wake of all these surprising new developments, he had to stop and regroup. He could try and figure out the connections and details later. Right now the main objective was finding a way out of the prison cell. As he sat rubbing his temples, he heard some shuffling from his companion and saw her rise to check if the coast was clear. The lawmage craned her neck around the corner between the bars and reached behind her ear.

"Ana... what are you doing?" he asked in exasperation.

"Getting us out of here," she replied quietly as she produced a hairpin from her golden locks. She bent the edge slightly and stuck it in the padlock of the cell.

Alexi stopped and joined her, watching in surprise as she continued to work quickly, "You can pick locks?"

"I can do a lot of things," she answered as she fiddled with the lock, "I did some time with the Wojeks remember? If it means stopping the bad guys, they don't always get so hung up on proper procedure and protocol like some other people."

"We're going to talk about that later," Alexi reminded her as he took over the job of keeping watch. "Any luck yet?"

The lock jiggled and rattled about for a minute as Anastasia did her best to pick it. Finally, the two officers heard a click and Ana smiled proudly as she slipped the lock free from the bars. "Aha! We're in business. I've still got it."

Alexi gave his partner a quiet nod and stepped out of the cell, "Good work Ana. Now come on. Let's find another way out of here."

He grabbed a torch from the wall and led the way down the dark passageway. Many of the other cells were empty and despite the relative quiet, it didn't help their nerves as they made their way through the desolate and foreboding place. It was a far cry from the clean, well-lit and sterile areas where the Azorius kept their prisoners in detention spheres. In a way, it was almost ironic that it was now the officers who were on the run and trying to keep from being detained themselves. As they continued on, Ana looked around, "There seems to always be secondary back channels and exits in the buildings of the Orzhov. I imagine we should be running into one soon."

She stopped and gripped her partner's arm as she pointed and hissed to an approaching torch light round a corner, "Alexi, look! There's a guard coming down the other end of the hallway."

Alexi nodded and tossed their torch in one of the empty cells before pulling Ana into the darkness of the adjacent one, "All right. That'll be our way out of here. Stay close."

They hid in the darkness of a corner waiting for a pair of Orzhov guards to come walking down the hall. The armored warriors stopped and turned in surprise when they saw a burning torch laying the in the middle of one of the cells. As they paused and focused their attention on the odd sight, they didn't see Alexi and Ana sneak out of the shadows from the adjoining cell and hit them from behind. Alexi grabbed a small mace from the side belt string of a jailor and brought it around to crack against the soldier's head. Meanwhile, Ana kicked out the other's legs from behind and restrained both the Orzhov guards with a wave of her arm and some effort of her law magic.

The two partners exchanged a quick smile and nod before they dragged the guards into an empty cell and took their armor. Having donned the disguises of the Orzhov, the two locked the doors of the cell and put on the steel helmets which obscured their faces. If anything, it would offer a little more anonymity and help with their escape. They picked up the torch and the guards' weapons before making their way further and trying to find where the jailors had come from.  
Eventually, they came to a stone stairwell leading up to a small guardhouse posted a block away from the basilica. As they opened the doors and stepped out from the underground passage, one of the sergeants stopped and gave a curious look, "That was fast. Have you made your rounds already?"

Ana nodded quietly in reply while Alexi took advantage of the muffled voice his helmet provided. "We'll go back in a minute. I wasn't feeling well and needed some air."

The sergeant raised an eyebrow before giving a shrug and shaking his head, "All right then. Hurry up and be quick about it. I expect you back in a few minutes. Is that understood? And take those cloaks with you. It's raining outside."

Ana nodded again while swiping and pair of dark cloaks and pushing Alexi out the door of the guardhouse into the open streets of the city. To their relief, night had fallen over Ravnica which would help make their escape easier under cover of darkness. Unfortunately, they also found there was a light misting rain which was hanging in the air making everything damp and wet. The two quickly walked away for a block or two before picking up the pace and jogging several more. Eventually, they came to a broken down wagon in an empty alleyway and stopped to strip off the heavy Orzhov armor.

After catching their breath and leaving the armor on the wagon, they wrapped themselves up in their cloaks and continued to hurry across the alleys and sidestreets in a zig zag pattern to throw off anyone who might have spotted them. Unfortunately, there weren't many people out and about so mixing into a crowd of commoners was not going to be an option. Ana panted as they hurried down the cobblestone streets, "It's going to take us forever to get back across the district by foot and there aren't any more carriages coming through at this hour."

Alexi grimaced. Even though they had to do whatever they could to reach the relative safety of the Azorius precinct station, she was right. It was not going to be easy traveling such a far distance by foot overnight. There were bound to be plenty of other dangers lurking in the darkness of Ravnica; thieves, muggers, Rakdos cultists, just to name a few. The Arrester nodded grimly and turned to his partner, "Okay... let's go a little further and find a safe place to hole up for the night. Now doubt the Orzhov might start getting suspicious and will try to find us to collect."

Ana gulped and nodded in agreement before they continued on their way through the darkness and light rain. As the relative quiet of late night fell over the Tenth District, Alexi and Ana quickly made their way down some alleys and side streets until they came to a small nondescript inn in a seedier area of the city district. It wasn't much in the way of offering comfort, but it was a welcome refuge from the cold of the evening and the light misting drizzle that had been falling outside. Right now, they knew that hired mercenaries of the Orzhov or perhaps even those of Judge Vandis had likely been dispatched to prowl the streets and look for the escapees.

In a run down slum like this, it was the perfect place to lay low for a while mixed in with poor laborers and other guildless people from the streets. As they entered the inn, the two officers made sure to keep their shabby cloaks pulled close so that their distinct clothes would not give away their alignment with the Azorius Senate. The last thing they needed was to draw more undue attention or to make more enemies here. Alexi dug into the stolen coin purse of an Orzhov guard and placed a silver coin on the front desk of the inn. He was given a key to one of the rooms for the night for no questions asked.

The two walked down a dingy wood paneled hallway until they came to their room. It was a simple chamber for the night with a small table, a chair, and a lumpy bed. After closing the shutters and locking the door, Alexi lit a few more candles and hung up his cloak to dry, "Well... it's not much, but we should be safe here for now."

"It's kinda odd," Ana remarked as she hung her cloak and sat down on the bed, "I feel like a wanted criminal now."

"By Judge Vandis's estimation, you are," Alexi remarked as he used the desk to block the door before sitting down in the chair to keep a vigil, "Why don't you get some rest right now. I'll keep watch."

Ana looked to him in the candle light and gave a quiet nod before laying down on her side. A companionable quiet settled over the room and he glanced over seeing his partner still looking at him quietly. She quietly rolled her sleeve back exposing her Boros Legion tattoo and sat up, "Alexi... I'm sorry I wasn't completely upfront with you before. I kinda owe you some explanations of everything from back in the dungeon."

"I think you do," he answered calmly as he crossed his arms.

Ana nodded and sighed, "You were right to think that there was something a little different about me when we started working this case together. But I wasn't lying when I said I wasn't a spy. I admit, I originally belonged to the Boros when I was younger. I had spent some time with the Wojeks before changing over to serve the Azorius."

"That's a heck of a jump," Alexi remarked cautiously.

"Is it?" Ana asked, "We're both concerned with the same end goal... with law and order. We just have different ways of approaching it."

"Except you guys tend to be a little more prone to just enacting vigilante justice for yourselves when it suits you... to act as judge, jury, and executioner in the heat of battle with a criminal," Alexi pointed out.

"And that's exactly why I left the Wojeks," Ana admitted quietly, "It's not like I completely disagreed with their mentality. Sometimes when the system is broken, you have to do something about it if no one else will... to do what's right over what's technically legal."

"I take it the Boros weren't as moderate or understanding?" Alexi guessed.

Ana sighed, "I didn't always see eye to eye with my peers on those issues, no. With nowhere else to go, I thought it might be a bit of a stretch to offer my talents to the Azorius, and Judge Acastus seemed to think I could be useful in some way."

"That old judge seems to see the good in everyone. So he sent you to work with me?" Alexi snorted with a mildly sardonic laugh, "Why would he do that? As some kind of joke? Or a punishment?"

"Maybe he saw something in you too," Ana answered back firmly, "He knew you were a great Arrester and could help teach me to be a better member of the guild... or that maybe I'd be able to teach you something too."

"Teach me? Teach me what?" Alexi asked curiously.

"I don't know... maybe to push yourself and challenge the rules when you need to? Look around you Alexi. A high ranking member of the guild has turned on us and is threatening to corrupt the entire district if he takes power. We've tried doing things by the rules up to now, but there's no guarantee it will be enough either. We might have to take some initiative for ourselves and do whatever has to be done to restore the rule of law."

Alexi grimaced and looked away pondering her words, "To think... I might have to break some laws to uphold the law. Ironic, isn't it?"

"I never said I was completely happy with it either," Ana admitted sympathetically, "We'll have to play this very carefully, but hopefully we can get some help when we make it back to the precinct tomorrow morning."

He gave a reluctant sigh but nodded in quiet consent. Ana sat quietly for a moment before speaking again, "Now that I've been honest, I'd like you to answer a question honestly for me."

Alexi looked to her quietly and waited until she asked, "Why have you insisted on working alone all this time until now? What happened to your last partner?"

"That's two questions," he pointed out but Ana silenced him with a hard frown until he relented, "I... I've just gotten used to working cases alone. It's just an easier quicker way to get things done."

"Are you saying I've been a burden on you?" Ana challenged him, "That I've been slowing you down?"

"No. Of course not," he answered quickly, "I just mean it's tough..."

"Being responsible for someone else?" she supplied, "Did something happen to your old partner and you feel responsible?"

"You certainly ask a lot of questions," he muttered petulantly. She remained silent and kept her gaze on him prompting him to continue. He eventually sighed and spoke again with reluctance.  
"I had been working with a partner, a fellow Arrester named Niko Stolorz. He was a good officer. Smart, tough, and a good guy on top of that."

"I'm guessing you guys were really good friends then?" Ana prodded.

Alexi gave a faint smile before continuing, "One day we were raiding a Rakdos revue which was tied to the deaths of several local people. It was a violent gang and we had backup from some Boros Wojeks. Unfortunately, I was younger, dumber, and more eager to make a mark for myself in the Arrester corps. I disobeyed an order to hold my position and tried to go after some of the thrill killers. Turned out it was a distraction move and it left my partner open to danger. I wound up getting punished for my actions but Niko... well, he really paid for it, with his life... all because I didn't do things by the book and tried to do what I thought was right in taking initiative."

Ana nodded quiet and gave a sympathetic look, "Alexi... I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. The past is the past. There's nothing we can do about it but learn from the mistakes," he said stoically, "I swore I wouldn't make that same mistake by breaking the rules and letting another partner... another friend suffer because of my failures."

Ana looked at him in the candlelight and gave a quiet smile, "I'll be honest Alexi. We haven't been working together long, but I'm growing a little fond of you too. You're a good man."

"Ana... don't be an idiot. What are you talking about?" he said with a little huff.

She spoke again, "Whether you're aware of it or not, I appreciate what you're trying to do... to protect me and yourself from getting hurt. But you don't have to. I'm a tough girl and I know the risks. We're in this pretty deep and we have to know we can trust each other. If it puts your mind at ease, I feel the same way toward you too."

Alexi nodded in silent assent while Ana gave a thoughtful look, "If we're going to put things right and stop Vandis, we're going to have to get used to facing truths and maybe doing some things that we're both uncomfortable with."

"Maybe you're right..." he agreed quietly as he got up and walked over to the bed. To Ana's surprise he lay down on his half of the bed and made sure to keep a space between them.

"Alexi? I... what are you doing?"

"Getting used to something I'm uncomfortable with... putting a little trust in a new friend," he said quietly as he closed his eyes and folded his hands over his chest so as not to suggest any impropriety between them. "Best get some rest Deputy Radic."

Ana stared at him for a moment before giving a quiet smile and laying down shoulder to shoulder with him. "Thank you Alexi."

As the rain continued to fall outside, the two partners lay like that trying to get some much needed rest and enjoying the momentary respite from the dangers and betrayals going on all around them.

* * *

The next morning, the two officers left the inn and hopped a carriage back to the other side of the district. They were relieved to return to the familiar looking Azorius precinct building and they hurried up the steps. As they passed the crowded hallways and wove their way around marble pillars, they quickly advanced until they reached the office of Captain Pualski. Although they were technically safe here, the two investigators knew that they were likely still in danger if the corrupt Judge Vandis had spies or operatives within the precinct building. They had to report this to someone they trusted and Captain Pulaski was one such person.

They barged right past his secretary and entered his office startling him as he sat busily doing paperwork behind his desk. He looked up in shock to see the two officers who were looking out of sorts. "Arrester Lazlo? Deputy Radic? What's going on? What are you doing here and why aren't you in full uniform?"

"We can explain sir, but we're going to need you to just listen to us. We're afraid the whole district could be in danger," Alexi said quickly while Ana shut the door and locked it. "Please!"

Captain Pulaski eyed them for a moment before giving a nod and gesturing for them to sit, "All right you two... let's have it."


	7. Coerced Confession

Captain Pulaski sat in silence with a stony expression as Alexi and Ana related the events of the last several days. They went into detail about the murder investigation and how it had seemingly turned into a much grander conspiracy, possibly against the entire district itself. When they finished, Pulaski sat back in his chair and folded his hands trying to wrap his head around these new developments. He took several deep breaths before speaking slowly, "You realize these are some very serious charges you're leveling here… even more so against a prominent public figure."

"Yes sir, we realize that but you have to believe us on this," Ana pleaded.

Pulaski nodded, "I do… there's only a few big problems, the first of which is…"

"The lack of compelling evidence," Alexi finished for him, "Yes. We know it's our word versus their word right now."

"Is there any way you can conclusively connect everything together?" Pulaski asked.

Alexi furrowed his brow and thought for a long moment, "Okay… let's review the facts and try to work our way through this. Our advokist Piotr Jelenik was killed by weapons that have been tied to the recent Rakdos riots in the district."

Ana nodded, "Those weapons look like they're being funneled to the cultists by way of the rogue Orzhov businessman Ravali."

"The thing is we need to tie the weapons to the murder itself," Alexi reminded her, "If Jelenik was sniffing around the Orzhov in his discovery process, they'd have a means and motive to off him before he got in deeper and found out the things we did."

Captain Pulaski folded his hands, "Ravali did say that agents of House Dimir were involved. Perhaps they were contracted out in some way as a middle-man or go-between for Judge Vandis and the other Orzhov?"

Ana frowned with a pensive expression, "It's a stretch, but it's still one of the only other leads we've got. We were told to look for these distinct Spire Runners and talk to them. They sound like Dimir operatives but it's possible they'd know."

"I don't like it," Alexi chimed in gravely, "It could be a trap… or we could just wind up chasing ghosts for all we know."

"I'm afraid we don't have many other choices Arrester Lazlo," Pulaski admitted with a grimace, "If we can get any information from them, it might lead us to Judge Vandis's motives for masterminding all this. If elements of the Orzhov are secretly in league with him, no doubt they'd stand to gain from him winning the local election."

"Which leads us to another problem," Ana pointed out, "Judge Vandis knows about Alexi and I interfering in his plans. It might not be safe for us to show our faces in public right now."

"She's right," Alexi nodded grimly, "We have no idea how deep Vandis's corruption might be within our own ranks. We already took a big risk coming here and talking to you Captain."

"I'm afraid there's not much I can do openly without getting in trouble or tipping off the conspirators," Captain Pulaski admitted, "For the time being, I think it might be best if you two keep your heads down and work this independently."

"Wait… am I understanding this right? You're actually sanctioning us to go rogue?" Ana asked in shock.

"Temporarily," Pulaski answered. "For now, everything that's been said does not leave this office and stays between the three of us. If there's a true conspiracy against the district and it's being led by one of our own, then we have to tread very lightly."

"Regarding the evidence sir," Alexi asked hesitantly, "Say we do manage to find these Spire Runners. Are we really to bargain for information with the Dimir? How far do we go?"

"Use your best judgment," Pulaski answered firmly, "If it's going to save the district, then do whatever you have to in order to get that evidence."

Alexi and Ana fell silent and exchanged an uncomfortable look before Pulaski cleared his throat and rose from his desk. "Until you have something to nail the conspirators with, I think it is best you keep your distance from the precinct. On the books, I'll take you off the case and place you both on administrative leave."

The two officers nodded in understanding while the captain scribbled a little note on a paper, folded it up and handed it to Alexi, "I'll be making some arrangements to help you find your runners. I'll be asking from someone I trust so bring these written orders to him when you need to."

Alexi tucked the paper away and began to head for the door with Ana. They paused a moment as they heard Pulaski call out with a level gaze, "Arrester Lazlo? Deputy Radic? Good luck to you both."

They both gave silent nods and headed out of the office, fearing the worst and uncertain of what new surprises they would come across next.

* * *

The two officers left the precinct building and headed back to Court Street where Alexi's third floor apartment was located. Once there, they dressed down to civilian clothes and spent the rest of the afternoon keeping out of sight just in case there were any more hired mercenaries or guild loyalists prowling around to try and locate the two. The fact that there was potential danger from both the Azorius and Orzhov ranks made things all the more difficult as they were some of the most powerful and influential guilds in the area with lots of eyes and swords at their disposal.

While Alexi boiled some tea for them to drink, Ana sat restlessly on a small couch of the apartment noting that despite the tidiness and relative simplicity of the living quarters, it felt a little safe and homey in a way too. A few odd paintings in small frames picked up in flea markets hung on the wall across from an orderly wooden bookshelf and desk. Late afternoon light continued to stream in from the windows but it wouldn't be long before they'd have to light some candles as well as the small fireplace in the corner.

"So partner, how do you suppose we go about finding these Spire Runners?" Ana asked as Alexi came over and offered her a hot cup of tea, "I doubt they're going to just come and greet us if we stand around on the roof tonight."

The Arrester took a sip of his tea thoughtfully, "Hmm... best we start by waiting until nightfall. These messengers and thieves tend to prefer working under cover of darkness."

"Lucky for us, we're supposed to have moonlight tonight," Ana noted with an encouraging smile.

"Right. That will be sure to help us if we're going to have a bird's eye view of the city tonight."

Ana raised an eyebrow and set her teacup down, "Sorry… what?"

Alexi smiled and brandished the small signed note Captain Pulaski had given him, "We're going to fly a patrol with the Skywatch this evening. This paper is granting us permission to conduct a special ride-along and patrol from the back of a roc."

Ana blanched slightly, "A roc? We're going to be riding on the back of one of those giant birds? I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"Why? Are you allergic to them?" Alexi smirked in mild amusement, "Scared they're going to bite?"

Ana grimaced and maintained her uncomfortable look before he stopped and did some deduction, "Wait… are you telling me you're afraid of heights?"

The female deputy frowned and gave a mildly defensive huff, "Yeah… so maybe I am. What of it? Isn't there some way we could follow along with the hussars instead? I prefer horses much more."

"You know those Spire Runners would easily be able to slip into areas that horses can't reach on the ground," he reminded her while crossing his arms, "Would you feel better sitting this one out? I'd understand if you'd…"

"No," she replied flatly. It took her a moment to muster up her determination while balling her fists, "The Boros are a lot of things but cowards aren't one of them. I won't let you go into danger without backup."

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Yeah… let's do this," she nodded taking a deep breath.

"Glad to hear it," the Arrester smiled putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Now let's rest up and get ready. We've got a flight to catch later."

* * *

Late that evening, the two plainclothes Azorius officers headed to one of the Lyev branch aeries where their skyknights kept their mounts. Once there, they met with Captain Kiril one of the senior members of the Isperian Skywatch who was a trusted ally to Captain Pulaski. The older skyknight took the written order from Alexi and led them up several flights of stairs in the building to a large stable. There they saw several very large griffons, rocs, and even a sphinx napping in the corner. Kiril pointed them forward until they saw a giant brown bird who served as his mount and partner, a trusty roc named Talon.

The roc gave the two newcomers a wary glance until his master patted its beak and said a few soothing words. As Kiril got to work securing the saddles, Alexi and Ana hesitantly mounted the passenger seats of the extra-large saddle and secured their harnesses. The skyknight gave an amused smile as he hopped aboard and did one last spot check of everything, "First time on a roc? It'll be fine. Just be sure to hold on tight and lean with me into the turns."

The giant bird gave a restless squawk and began to flap its wings before Kiril led him out to the edge of the stable perch. As Talon spread its wings and took off from the perch, the three braced themselves as they were carried airborne into the night skies. From behind him, Ana gave a gasp and grabbed hold of Alexi for dear life barely keeping her eyes open, "Oh gods... we're so high."

The Arrester laughed a little to himself and smiled at the exhilarating feel of free flight in the open air; from the cool wind in his face to the excitement of defying gravity itself. Bright moonlight hung over the endless skylines of Ravnica accenting the beauty of the glittering city lights. He would have loved to just bask in the fun and the beauty of it all evening, but there was a job to be done. He called out to Kiril, "All right. Let's start the patrol. We all know what we're looking for, right?"

His companions nodded remembering the specific description given to them of the Spires Runners. Kiril steered his mount higher and had it level off into a glide, "I know a few spots around the district these runners might like hiding. If we stay high and quiet, we may be able to catch our targets with a fast dive."

"Sounds like a great plan," Ana mumbled with a mild look of dread, "I can't wait."

The two men exchanged a quick look and rolled their eyes before continuing on with their patrol.

* * *

Some time later, they soared above an area along the border of the district known for having lots of historic towers and ruins of soaring temples. As they glided silently overhead, Ana scanned the area until she spotted something and hissed in a quiet whisper, "There! Along those arches! Movement!"

The officers continued to hang in the air out of sight before they spotted a pair of figures in long purple hooded robes quickly making their way across the high ruins of the buildings. Kiril spurred his mount and gave a quiet command and the roc shifted its weight into a forward dive. As they began t pick up speed and angle in, the two Spire Runners sensed movement from above and spotted the Azorius riders bearing down upon them. The rogues quickly took off making bold death defying leaps and nimble parkour moves to try and find new avenues of escape. As they quickly and nimbly began to run along the tops of the ruins, the Azorius riders stayed on target and angled lower, trying to get closer until they reached a better place to dismount.

The rogues dodged a few passes by the roc and momentarily dove behind some ruins before taking off again and trying to use misdirection to fool their pursuers. Kiril gave a low growl, "Damn! These guys are good. We can't corner them of get close enough to chase on foot."

As they came about and made another low pass on the ruins, Alexi began to loosen his harness and tense up. His partner gasped, "Alexi? What in the hell are you doing?"

"The roc might not be able to pounce on these bandits but we can. I want you to undo your harness and hang on to me. Trust me. Kiril, get us in as close as you can to one of the runners."

The lawmage took a few short breaths and reluctantly did what he asked, "I hope you know what you're doing."

As the officers swooped down for another close pass, Ana held on tight to her partner as they both leapt off along a ruined platform and tackled one of the runners from above. The three tumbled over and rolled along the ground in a tangle of limbs before Alexi tried to grapple and restrain the rogue under him. The rogue went for a dagger at his belt and tried to bring it around but the veteran Arrester grabbed his foe's weapon arm by the wrist to restrain him. Before the rogue could come up with another countermove, Alexi brought his other arm around and smashed the chin of the spire runner with a forceful right hook. Seeing his companion in danger, the other runner drew her own dagger and rushed over to attack Alexi from behind with a leaping sneak attack.

At the peak of the female rogue's jump, she was suddenly knocked sideways as she was surprised by Ana casting a detention spell on her. The plainclothes lawmage had rolled over at the just the right time and in just the right position to counter the rogue's attack while protecting her own partner. Alexi glanced over to the trapped female rogue and gave a nod of thanks to Ana before cuffing his own stunned foe nearby. As Kiril continued to circle around from above and patrol for any other intruders, Ana kept her gladius and another spell at the ready in case their prisoners tried anything funny.

Alexi bent down and checked the two rogue's arms finding what they were looking for... tattoos in the spider shaped image of the guild House Dimir.

"Jackpot," the Arrester grinned as he stepped back and drew his own gladius, "My partner and I have been looking for you two."

The male rogue who had now recovered his senses snorted mildly, That was a nice trick but we have nothing to say to any of Azorius or their Arresters."

"The choice is yours," Ana chimed in, "You can cooperate or we can lock you up in a detention sphere for a really long time. I'm sure there will be people at the guildhall who would love to pick the brain of some Dimir operatives."

"You can't threaten us," the female rogue retorted in mild sarcasm, "You can't prove anything. We didn't do anything."

"Aside from trespassing in this area?" Alexi countered, "You might be wrong because we think you two were involved in something. Your friend Zoran Ravali tipped us off. Something about murders, illegal arms sales, and corrupt judges?"

The male rogue laughed, "You must be joking Arrester. You really think we're the masterminds behind some major conspiracy going on?"

Ana shook her head and stepped forward, "No. We think you're just the middlemen, but the ones who can tie this all together. We have bigger fish to hook rather than prosecute a pair of two-bit amateurs."

The female rogue sighed looked to her partner with a bored expression, "That one must be playing the bad cop here. Trying some petty insults to make us slip."

Alexi shook his head gently, "Listen, as much as I want to collar any of Dimir's vermin, I'm more interested in getting information."

"Are you saying you want to make a deal with us?" the male rogue asked in genuine curiosity, "That doesn't sound like the thing a brass tacks Arrester would do or say."

"These are... unusual circumstances," Alexi replied with mild grimace toward Ana before turning to his prisoner, "So how about it? Are you willing to spill on what's going on?"

The rogues exchanged a curious look with each other before nodding, "In exchange for immunity."

Alexi growled at the statement but Ana chimed in with a level scowl, "That'll depend on if we believe your story or not."

The female rogue scoffed, "All right... what do you want to know?"

"For starters, do you know who killed Piotr Jelenik and Mireia Svoboda?" Alexi asked.

"We did," the male rogue said bluntly.

Ana's eyes went wide and she sputtered in surprise, "What? You're lying on purpose now... just to throw us off."

"No. It's true," the female rogue said calmly, "We were hired to do the job by Zoran Ravali of the Orzhov Syndicate."

Alexi kept a hard gaze on the Dimir agents trying to determine if they were misleading them, but he couldn't sense any dishonesty yet, "Why would he do that? He didn't have any personal vendetta against Jelenik."

"True, but he had to protect himself and keep a nosy advokist from rooting out his illegal arms deals to the Orzhov Syndicate," the female rogue continued. "We were told to use Rakdos style weapons and methods to pin the crime on them."

"Well you didn't do a good enough job," Alexi frowned, "Ravali was an idiot if he thought he could fool the Azorius officers."

"About those weapons," Ana prompted the the rogues, "Where are they going and why?"

The rogues exchanged a smirk before the male answered, "Simple, they were being funneled to Rakdos cultists all over the district. We had a hand in overseeing the shipments and weapon sales."

"That's a huge job! Ravali couldn't have been working alone to arm all the cultists in the district," Alexi exclaimed

"You're right Arrester. We were just a middle-man to the third party in all this... the real spider at the center of the web."

"Judge Isidore Vandis?" Ana asked.

The female rogue nodded, "Now you're understanding it."

"No. We're not," Alexi exclaimed in shock, "Why the hell would an Azorius official be doing something like that? Jeopardizing the very safety of the district and arming our enemies."

The male Dimir rogue sighed, "You're not looking at the big picture Arrester. The Rakdos are nothing but chaos, violence, and destruction. Vandis is billing himself to be the shining symbol of law and order."

"So he's covertly funding crime and terrorism so that he can win the coming election on the platform of more law and order," Ana deduced, "His law and order."

"You'd best not waste time," the rogue laughed, "The elections are very soon and we predict the Rakdos will be causing a lot of mayhem very very soon."

Alexi lowered his gladius and looked to his partner in dread. He was feeling sick to his stomach as all the dots had suddenly been connected in this conspiracy. He glanced back to their captives, "If we're going to grant you immunity, I assume you have hard evidence to implicate Vandis? Something physical?"

"Of course Arrester," the female rogue smiled coyly, "To the Dimir, information is everything and we make sure to hedge our bets... to keep leverage on everyone so that they'd regret any attempt to turn on us. The purple glass bottle in my thigh pouch. Take it."

The Arrester carefully bent down and found a small pouch on the leg of the rogue. The female rogue gave him a suggestive wink too, "Feel free to take anything else you'd like while you're at it."

Alexi scowled and drew back before the male rogue chimed in again.

"Put the bottle by our faces and remove the stopper. Hold it there for several seconds each."

The two Azorius officers exchanged another uneasy look before doing what the Dimir agent said. Once the bottle was opened, Alexi could feel a gentle magical suction and strange blue glowing wisps of energy began to snake out of the rogues' noses, mouths, and ears. The strange vapors swirled and were completely drawn into the bottle causing it to glow gently. All the while, the two rogues' heads lolled to the side as if they were in some momentary trance or stupor.

Ana took the bottle and studied it a moment before giving a grim smile, "Very clever... it was a voluntary mind siphon. The specific memories of all these dealings have been extracted from their minds and bottled up here. Mages can access these memories, but they've been completely wiped from the spire runners... meaning it would be harder to individually prosecute them now for separate crimes."

"Excuse me? Who are you two? What's going on here?" the male spire runner asked as he came out of his stupor, "And why are there manacles on my hands?"

Ana tucked the bottle away and nodded to Alexi, "Let them go. We've got what we want... and it seems the Dimir got what they wanted too... a means to escape prison."


	8. Supreme Verdict

Having gotten what they needed from the Dimir operatives, the two Azorius officers returned to Alexi's apartment building on Court Street to plan their next move. By the time they had returned, dawn was beginning to break over the horizon and the gilded spires of Ravnica's majestic skyline. From the top of the apartment building, Arrester Alexi Lazlo stood on the roof looking out over the skies in silence thinking over the chaotic events of the recent week. It had all been a tangled web of lies and conspiracies, but the more he took some time out to think about it and piece things together, the more it made sense. In a way, it was strange that in spite of all the political corruption and chaotic violence that was simmering in the dark underbelly of the district, he could still enjoy this rare moment of peace and beauty as the city slowly woke up to start its day anew.

He took in several deep breaths trying to calm his thoughts before he heard some footsteps from the stairwell leading up to the rooftops. He turned in surprise to see his comrade Anastasia emerge with a sleepy look. Like him, she had dressed down to some civilian clothes and she let her golden hair down over the light blue cloak she wrapped over her shoulders. He regarded her calmly, "Hey… what are you doing up? I thought you'd still be sleeping."

After their long night of chasing the spire runners, Alexi had offered to let her rest on his bed while he slept upon the floor in a bedroll. She gave a small yawn and rubbed the bleariness from her eyes as she came to join him at the edge of the rooftop, "For a little while anyway. I had a lot on my mind."

He nodded quietly, "Me too. I figured I could use some air and a chance to clear my head."

They fell into a companionable silence as they watched the early morning sunrise before Ana spoke, "It's beautiful isn't it? We get so used to cleaning up the crime and the violence on the streets, we sometimes forget to admire what it is we're protecting from above."

Alexi gave a little smile at the sentiment, "Yeah… that's why we can't let Vandis get away with his plans. If those Rakdos are allowed to riot en-mass, there's no telling how many people might get hurt."

"Even worse… if Vandis gets elected and takes power, he's going to subvert the law and order in the entire district," Ana agreed with a grim nod, "Alexi, what are we going to do? The election is in less than a week and the candidates will be giving their last great speeches in just a couple days."

"I was thinking about that earlier," Alexi replied, "Even with our testimony and our evidence, we can't do this by ourselves."

"Then how?" Ana asked in concern, "Vandis has already painted targets on our back and for all we know, half of our fellow guild officers could be bought off."

"If the Azorius can't help us, then we'll have to get help from someone else," he said as he gently took Ana's arm. He rolled back the sleeve to expose her Boros Legion tattoo and fixed her with a steady look.

"Wait… you can't be serious," she gasped.

"We may not always agree with the Legion on things but they're just as committed to the law and the safety of this city," Alexi explained, "We both have some friendly contacts among the local Wojeks. Maybe we can go through them."

Ana drew her arm back hesitantly and looked out toward the horizon, "I don't know… that's a big ask and a pretty extreme measure to take."

"This is a pretty extreme situation," Alexi countered gently, "If anyone will be able to stand their ground against the Rakdos and to help bring Vandis to justice, it's going to be the Boros. I just need my partner to trust me now."

Ana turned in surprise to look at him and she saw that his expression was serious but sincere. She graced him with a smile, "Of course I trust you. We've come this far, haven't we?"

Alexi returned the smile and patted her shoulder before heading back for the stairwell, "Best we get some food and rest. We're going to have a lot to do if we plan to sway the Legion to our cause."

* * *

A few quiet days passed while Alexi and Ana stayed undercover and met with several mid-ranking members of the Wojek League and the Boros Legion. On the day of the final debate between the major candidates, throngs of the Tenth District's citizens gathered in the great Millennium Square to hear the speakers. People of all different races, professions, and guilds came to listen to the speeches as each of the candidates make their last great pitches to try and persuade others to vote for their policies in the coming district-wide election.

As each of the candidates stood upon a great stage and spoke using magic to project their voices to the crowd, a company of Azorius officers stood at the ready to protect the politicians and maintain order in the crowd. Many armed Arresters were mixed in with other Lyev soldiers bearing their distinct blue capes and heavy silver plate armor in a show of force. Amid the bustle and clamor of citizens, Alexi and Ana blended in with the crowds wearing plain gray cloaks while trying to keep low profiles from the Arresters who occasionally strolled through the mobs. As they pushed forward, they kept a sharp eye out for any unusual activities from the sidestreet alleys or the nearby rooftops of the buildings circling the square. While this area was nowhere near as large as the great Forum of Azor in New Phrav, Millennium Square still offered accommodations for a sizeable amount of spectators.

"See anything?" Alexi hissed quietly to Ana as another candidate on the stage finished his long winded speech about subsidies for the local tradesmen and merchants.

The lawmage shook her head and kept a wary lookout, "Not yet. Hopefully our friends are having better luck."

Alexi nodded and gently pulled her along toward the stage as Judge Isidore Vandis took the stage and began addressing the crowds, "My fellow citizens of Ravnica, I stand here today to ask that you elect me your representative of the Tenth District… that I may champion your goals and promote your interests in the government of greater Ravnica. To do that, we must first ensure your safety and I come with a desire to make a promise for you today… a promise that I will bring a lasting peace and prosperity through the framework of law and order."

Alexi and Ana wove through the crowds and quietly pushed closer as Vandis went on speaking of quelling the violence of dangerous death cults running rampant to the prevention of extortion and graft from the monied financial institutions. As they neared, Vandis continued to rail on loudly, "People of the Tenth District, there is danger all around and I say it's high time that we put our collective foot down and said no more. No more to violence. No more to crime, and..."

"And no more to corruption!" Alexi called out as he stepped forward from the crowds with Ana close behind him, "No more to corruption from lying politicians like you... someone who would subvert our very institutions of his own personal gain, who would sell out the very people he's claiming to stand by!"

Vandis stared at Alexi in shock as he recognized the Arrester but he maintained a calm and neutral expression, "I'm sorry you feel that way sir, but you have no idea what you're talking about. Guards, please remove this disruptive heckler."

As a group of armed Azorius guards moved to stop the two, Alexi and Ana threw off their cloaks revealing themselves to be dressed in their own guild uniforms. They produced their badges causing their fellow Azorius officers to stop in their tracks. A confused murmur swept through the crowds as the other opposing candidates sat in silent glee at the spectacle. Alexi stepped forward keeping his badge held high in the sunlight, "Judge Isidore Vandis, we're placing you under arrest for accessory to the kidnap and assault of officers of the law, illegal arms trafficking, and conspiracy to commit treason!"

"This is outrageous!" Vandis fumed in an exaggerated show of umbrage, "Where do you little insects get off making such unbelievable claims against me? You have no proof, no warrant, and no clue just who you're dealing with."

"That's where you're completely wrong Your Honor," Ana answered as she produced a scroll of paper with an Azorius seal, "We got the evidence from your Dimir operatives linking you to the illegal arms trade with Rakdos rioters. Our warrants of arrest were signed and certified express by Captain Pulaski and Judge Acastus himself."

Vandis ground his teeth as the crowd gave collective gasps and murmurs of shock, "Arrester Lazlo. Deputy Radic. Mark my words, you two are going to pay for this humiliation. Once I clear my name, I'll have your badges and see you thrown out of the Tenth District with nothing!"

Alexi began to step forward, "You have a right to remain silent... but mostly because I'm getting tired of your hot air and empty threats."

His path was barred as Vandis waved his own loyal guards forward to block the Arrester's path, "This isn't going to go the way you think Arrester. You have no power to take the law into your own hands like this."

"Maybe he doesn't, but some of us do!" Ana retorted loudly as she rolled up her sleeve and drew her sword while giving a high pitched whistle. A number of armored warriors dressed in the red and white tunics of the Boros Legion and Wojek League threw off their own disguises and stepped forward from the crowds to face off against the line of Azorius guards. As the two sides stared each other down, civilians backed off and gave the soldiers some room fearing that a violent inter-guild skirmish was about to erupt.

Alexi eyed his fellow Azorius guards and tried to appeal to those who hadn't been bought off or corrupted, "Please stand down and let us do our job. Vandis will get his day in court and justice will be done."

"A lot of good that is," Vandis spat venomously while looking down on the Arrester with an imperious glare, "You've already tried to ruin my good name right before this election with your baseless slander!"

"This is a lawful warrant," Ana answered defiantly, "Don't make this any harder than it has to be Your Honor."

As she and her partner stepped forward again, the guards of Vandis raised their spears and warhammers in a menacing gesture causing the Boros warriors to tense. Judge Vandis cast a sidelong look to the edge of the crowd where one of his operatives was waiting. He gave a quiet nod before turning back toward Alexi and Ana, "You two are naive fools. You think that your brand of law and order can really keep the district safe? If you're so confident in the ways of the status quo, then I challenge you to prove it."

Moments later, several fiery plumes of pyrotechnics erupted from the rooftops of several buildings and hung high in the skies before they erupted and rained down smaller embers and fireballs. Alexi and Ana stared in shock at the use of contraband Izzet mizzium mortars before they exchanged a look to each other. While the crowds panicked and tried to disperse, there was more commotion as several gangs of armed Rakdos cultists burst onto the scene with savage glee.

As the insane cultists attacked the crowd, Azorius Arresters and Boros warriors forgot about their standoff and turned to fight their mutual enemy instead. As a violent melee erupted through Millennium Square, the sounds of ringing steel and battle cries filled the hot air as embers from the mortars continued raining down. As they locked swords with a couple Rakdos cultists that were frothing at the mouth, Alexi and Ana pushed through the chaotic free for all to try and get to the escaping Vandis.

"He's making a run for it," Ana called out as she used her magic to restrain a female cultist before kicking her aside.

Alexi nodded and disarmed another cultist before smashing him in the face with a punch from his armored gauntlet, "Let's get him partner!"

The two officers took off running after Vandis weaving their way through combatants and fleeing civilians. As Vandis reached the edge of the thinning crowds and slipped into a tall building, two of his corrupt Azorius guards moved to block the way in. Undeterred, Alexi dropped his shoulder and slammed into the two corrupt Arresters sending the three men to the ground. As they struggled in a tangle of blue tunics and heavy steel armor, Ana used the distraction to slip past and reach the door of the building. She found it locked and gave a growl before using her sword to slash open the door handle and force her way inside.

Anastasia Radic pushed her way inside the building and saw two more Azorius guards charging down the nearest stairwell to stop her. She raised her badge and spoke a word of power immediately snaring their limbs with law magic and restraining them. They toppled over and clattered to the ground as she pushed past them up the stairs. Not far behind her, Alexi had fought off the other guards and followed after her in pursuit of the renegade judge.

Eventually, they reached the top of the building and saw Judge Vandis hurry out to the edge of balcony. The two approached him slowly as he calmly looked out over the chaotic battle raging in the square below. Despite the blasts of the mortars and the initial shock of the Rakdos attack, everything else was going as he had planned. The Azorius lawmages and Arresters who had been deployed were starting to overwhelm the Rakdos and restore order along with the help of the Boros Wojeks who were already present on the scene.

"It's a shame isn't it?" Vandis sighed as the officers neared with their swords and law spells at the ready, "This was to be the glorious exclamation point to my campaign... the way for the Azorius to claim total supremacy in the district and to bring about a new order."

"You played with people's lives and manipulated them for your own ends," Ana answered angrily, "You put the lives and the safety of hundreds of civilians at risk just so that you could stage this fake battle... this political charade."

"Fake battle? Charade? I beg to differ Deputy Radic," Vandis replied calmly as he gestured to the battle in the streets. "This fight is very real and I expect that by its end, it will crush the backbone of the Rakdos forces in the district."

"They thought you were secretly aiding them, but you never intended to really help them, did you?" Alexi reasoned, "They were just expendable fodder... a means to an end."

Vandis turned with a slightly wry grin, "Helping the guild stamp out a large number of insane cultists? Perhaps you'll take that into consideration when you bring up charges."

Ana shook her head, "I still don't understand Judge Vandis... why? Why would you go to all this trouble?"

The old judge turned around and regarded the two young law enforcers with a look of amusement, "For the sake of the law and for the sake of the guild itself. It's what we live for. Isn't it our duty to spread the greatness and influence of the guild over all the districts?"

"Not like this," Alexi corrected him, "You violated the public trust. You broke the very rules that govern us and the way we do things."

"Ironic. I'm sure you two must have violated numerous protocols and procedures just to bring this to light," Vandis laughed gently, "In that way, we are both the same... that the ends justify the means."

"The only difference is we never stopped believing in the institution itself," Ana cut in, "We'll own up to our actions when the time comes for it, but if we're going to fix the problem, then we'll have to do it within the system. Not tearing it down and imposing a brand new form of tyranny."

"Just as well," Vandis sighed as he watched the Rakdos rioters make a futile last stand against the combined forces of order fighting them. He saw that he was cornered and that there was nowhere left to run. The two investigators had him dead to rights and if he surrendered, his public reputation and chances of winning the election would be forever ruined. "If you wish to face the fallout of your actions, then so be it."

As Vandis edged closer to the edge of the roof, Ana stepped forward brandishing her glowing badge in alarm, "Don't do it Your Honor. Stand down and surrender to us. I promise you'll have a fair trial."

"That's what I was hoping to avoid from the beginning," Vandis said as he took another step backwards. The moment he reached the edge of the roof, both Alexi and Ana fired off their strands of blue law magic hoping to detain the judge and prevent him from doing anything dangerous. To their surprise, Vandis waved his hand in front of him and spoke a few words of power himself. The older judge instantly nullified the spells and countered them causing the blue strands of binding law magic to fizzle out. Before the officers could do anything further, Isidore Vandis gave them a smug smile before leaning back and falling off the edge of the building.

Both Alexi and Ana gave cries of alarm as they watched Vandis fall to his demise and land in a crumpled mess upon the streets below. By now, the fighting in Millennium Square had died down and the last of the Rakdos fighters surrendered, albeit grudgingly. Vandis's fall had caught several Azorius and Boros soldiers off guard and they all stared upwards in surprise only to see the two officers gawking in silence from above. As the smoke from the mortars cleared, both partners watched as the clamor died down and a semblance of peace and order returned to the square. As their eyes scanned the crowds below, they gazed again at the broken form of Vandis laying in the street... the judge who had taken the coward's way out instead of answer for his crime.

Alexi dropped his gladius and tiredly placed his hand on the ledge of the rooftop, "Vandis left us with quite a mess here. The higher authorities are going to have a lot of questions for us before this is all over."

Ana gently placed a supportive hand over her partner's and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Then it's time we put our money where our mouths are. We'll have to put some trust in our institutions and go about cleaning this up the right way now... together."

Alexi graced her with a small smile and nodded his head in silence. As a gentle cooling wind began to blow granting relief from the heat of the recent battle, Alexi squeezed her hand back and remained looking out over the square hoping he could feel the same amount of trust toward the Azorius legal system as he did his trusted friend and partner beside him.

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Just one more chapter left to tie things up. To anyone and everyone who's stuck through with this, thanks for reading so far!**


	9. Lyev Decree

It had been more than two weeks since the violent riot in Millennium Square which resulted in significant property damage, scores of people wounded, and the near annihilation of a local cell of Rakdos cultists. Understandably, the coming elections of the Tenth District's officials had been temporarily postponed from the death of one of the candidates. The alleged corruption charges that had been leveled against the late Judge Isidore Vandis had shaken many voters along with many of his more influential donor and interest groups. It hadn't been the way Alexi Lazlo or Anastasia Radic had wanted things to go, but they willingly surrendered themselves to their fellow law enforcers after the chaotic incident.

During those several weeks, the two were put through long grueling interrogations by the district's leading officials of the Azorius Lyev branch and the Wojek liaisons to the Boros Legion. They methodically recounted the course of their entire investigation, how the murder of an advokist named Jelenik led to the breakup of an illegal arms trade involving complicit elements of the Orzhov Syndicate. The two officers told their guilds about how they escaped capture and tracked the weapons to the violent Rakdos gangs and how Dimir agents had been facilitating plans for Judge Vandis to create his own staged chaos with the hope of winning a mandate to enforce his own policies when elected.

When brought before a larger joint body of guild officials, Alexi and Ana presented the physical evidence they had collected from the Dimir agents. The stored memories that were contained in the magic bottles implicated Vandis and helped corroborate other parts of the story that was also backed by Captain Pulaski and Judge Acastus. In true Azorius fashion, the council deliberated for several more days while Alexi and Ana remained under suspension from duty and house arrest. On the day of the final hearing, the two officers reported to the large council chambers of the Tenth District's local Azorius guildhall where several officials sat waiting. They were joined by the district watch commander, as well as several ranking members of the local Boros Legion. The two officers had eschewed their gear and their silver armor, wearing only their blue and white guild uniforms as well as their badges and short swords.

Upon entering the chambers, Alexi and Ana were brought before the local council to hear their fate on the final decision regarding their actions. The two stood at silent ramrod straight attention as the chairman of the council rose and addressed them. Magister Marius was an older graying Azorius Magistrate who straightened out his dark blue robes officiously and regarded the two with a level gaze. He spoke in a clear stentorian voice which was not uncommon for such guild officials.

"Arrester Alexi Lazlo. Deputy Anastasia Radic. You both stand here having answered for the events regarding the riot in Millennium Square as well as the death of Judge Isidore Vandis nearly one month ago. Our joint council has undertaken great deliberation to assess your handling of the situation as well as the legality of your actions. Based on your testimony and evidence provided, this council has determined that there was in fact a tangible threat and conspiracy taking place against the district. We commend you both for your initiative, courage, and relentless zeal to apprehend the conspirators and put a stop to the threats."

Both Alexi and Ana exchanged a silent look out the corner of their eyes sensing a "but" coming. Magister Marius continued, "However, in the course of your investigation, we found some of your methods and actions to be rather questionable as well."

The Magistrate paused a moment to glance to his Boros counterparts in the room before he cleared his throat grudgingly, "Despite the objections of some of the Azorius members on the council... we also have to acknowledge and consider a positive endorsement of your actions from our Boros counterparts. That said, it's been determined that you both will be cleared of any potential wrongdoing in the matter and retain your positions within the guild with full privileges and policing powers. Once the final paperwork goes through, you will be allowed to resume your duties."

Both gave a salute followed by a respectful bow before being dismissed from the chambers. Once they left the guildhall and walked down the white marble steps, Alexi and Ana breathed great sighs of relief while enjoying a cool breeze and the bright warm sun on their faces. On the nearby sidewalk, citizens of the Tenth District were bustling by going about their chores and daily routines, completely unaware of the great weight which had been lifted off the shoulders of the two officers. Despite themselves, they both gave a giddy laugh and shared a relieved hug. After a long moment, both parted and exchanged a sheepish look. They quickly glanced back at the guildhall before they began walking away down the sidewalk trying to maintain an air of propriety and professionalism. After all, they were both still in uniform.

After walking a block or two, they headed toward a nearby fountain and Ana grinned, "You know... I'm almost kind of amazed things played out the way things did back there. I thought for sure we'd at least get some kind of reprimand or disciplinary mark on our records."

"I imagine our guild is ashamed enough that one of their own almost hoodwinked everybody in the district. Maybe they figure we did their dirty work for them and made sure Vandis got what was coming to him."

"A very Boros way of looking at things," Ana smiled giving him a gentle elbow, "I must be rubbing off on you."

Alexi chuckled gently, "I suppose you've grown on me little... or I could just be humoring you."

"You're just lucky we're in uniform right now," Ana joked as she mock threatened him with a fist to imitate the Boros Legion's emblem. As they continued idly walking down the boulevard Ana settled down a little and mused, "In all seriousness though, we're both lucky. In a way, we had a lot of support on that council from the Boros as well as Judge Acastus and Captain Pulaski."

Alexi nodded in agreement and furrowed his own brow a little, "True... but I'm still worried about something else too. There were surely some power players in the guilds as well as influential donors of Vandis who are going to be implicated and brought up on charges, both from the Azorius and Orzhov. We may have made a lot more powerful enemies by having blown this case wide open."

Ana glared at him incredulously and sighed, "Come on Alexi! We're law enforcement officers. You know we're always going to have a lot of enemies, right?"

The Arrester smiled slightly, "Oh I know... I'm just going to have to be extra careful when I resume my duties. I just hope I'll be able to count on a trustworthy partner to watch my back."

Ana laughed quietly and raised a teasing eyebrow, "A trusty partner eh? You were thinking of making this a permanent arrangement or something?"

Alexi shrugged, "Maybe. After all, I'm still alive after this major case, aren't I? With your permission Anastasia... I'd like to make a request to Judge Acastus that you transfer over and stay on as my partner."

The Deputy of Acquittals graced the Arrester with a serene smile, "Yes. I'd like that a lot. Thank you Alexi."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it too," he said as they rounded a corner and neared his apartment building on Court Street. After passing by a few food carts, Ana gave a thoughtful look.

"Alexi... I was just wondering. You haven't already filed those transfer request papers for me, have you?"

He shook his head, "No. Why?"

"Well... I was just thinking. For the time being, we're both on administrative leave and currently reassigned to our original posts, right?

Alexi nodded, "Yeah? What about it?"

Ana looked to him with a sly smile, "I thought maybe we should use the opportunity to enjoy each other's company outside of work related duties... if you know what I mean."

Alexi balked a moment, "Hold on Ana... there are fraternization rules about that kind of thing and..."

"And they don't apply right now since we're technically not partners and we both report to separate chains of command," Ana pointed out. "Plus, we're still off-duty until further notice. Whatever happens between now and then is fair game... though knowing the guild's filing procedures, it could be a couple weeks at least."

Now it was Alexi's turn to stare at her incredulously before breaking out into wry smile, "Trying to get me to bend the rules again, aren't you?"

"Yes, but you should appreciate that I'm still trying to work within the law here," Ana nodded officiously, "Either because you're rubbing off on me... or maybe I'm just humoring you too."

Having his own words used against him made Alexi laugh and he nodded, "All right. Fair enough. How about this? I know of a nice little place on Ivy Lane. Maybe we start with dinner there at sundown?"

Ana surprised him by reaching up and giving him a kiss on the cheek. She gave a mysterious smile and began to head off down the road toward her own residence, "I'll look forward to it Arrester Lazlo."

The bewildered Arrester watched her walk off before giving a quiet smile and shaking his head to himself. After everything he had been through recently, Alexi couldn't help but realize how much he had begun to change since starting his last case over a month ago. He wasn't sure if he was comfortable with all these changes just yet, but given time perhaps he'd know for certain. For now, the veteran Arrester would have to start determining which was going to be more dangerous to his future: facing down a horde of vengeful criminals tied to Judge Vandis, or going to meet a female coworker for dinner... and possibly something more. All things considered, it seemed the jury was certainly going to be out on this one.

 ** _The End_**

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **Thanks again to everyone who read this story! I know it's a little unusual as far as typical MtG stories go, but hopefully you enjoyed this little crime drama as well as some of the creative liberties taken on behalf of my favorite (underappreciated) Ravnica guild.**


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